The Coffee Shop Murders
by smokinhottie
Summary: A new lead to a cold case sends Grissom into a war zone to save a 7year old girl who has been taken hostage. Can he finally tell Catherine how he feels before it's too late? Will Nick and Sara also come to their senses?
1. Chapter 1

Title: Coffee Shop Murders 

Author: Smokinhottie

Rating: G

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I do not own any of these characters. I wish I did!

This is my first ever story to be put out on this site! Please give me honest feedback but be kind! By the way, if you are unfamiliar with CSI I have included footnotes to help you understand.

Chapter One 

Catherine Willows sighed as she pulled into the parking lot of the Las Vegas Police Department's CSI headquarters. As she stepped out of her silver Honda Accord, her shoulder length blonde hair blew gently in the cool desert night breeze. She pulled her black leather jacket closer to her as she felt a chill run down her spin. She had decided to go casual tonight with jeans and a white blouse.

Once her doors were locked, she made her way to the sidewalk, while casually scanning the parking lot to see who was already there. She saw Warrick Brown's blue Yukon parked in its usual spot. Sara Sidle had pulled in behind Catherine and was now locking the doors to her tan 4Runner. Catherine frowned slightly. She was surprised to not see Nick Stokes' Ford Explorer or Gil Grissom's Emerald Denali; since both were usually already there by the time she arrived. Catherine shrugged as she walked down the sidewalk to meet Sara.

"Hey Catherine!" Sara said with a smile. She was tall and slender with short brown hair that matched her warm brown eyes. She wore a tan corduroy jacket with a scarf that matched the deep burgundy shirt she wore. Like Catherine, she was also wearing jeans. She took a sip of her hot chocolate as she shifted her purse on her shoulder.

"Hi Sara." Said Catherine as she returned the smile. The two women were making progress in their relationship. Originally, both didn't get along with each other. However, over the years, they had learned to put aside their differences and work things out.1 Now, they were almost like mother and daughter.

In fact, the entire team viewed each other as family. Grissom and Catherine played the role of mother and father to the younger CSIs. People, who worked so closely together, as they had for the past several years, couldn't help but grow close. It was what made their team great. Everyone had different strengths to offer and together nothing was impossible.

Catherine and Sara walked down the sidewalk towards the entrance to the building, chatting about the cases they had been working on lately. As they rounded the corner of the building, they saw Warrick Brown coming out of the building carrying several duffel bags. Both women hurried to help him as he struggled with the door.

"Thanks guys, " said Warrick once they managed to get through the door and set the bags down on the ground. "How are you doing tonight?" Warrick Brown was tall, dark, and handsome. He had on jeans and a white t-shirt that accented his athletic build.

"We're ok. What's with the luggage? You going on vacation and taking half the lab with you?" Sara said with a smile. Warrick chuckled some as he shook his head.

"I wish, look it's a long story. I'll explain it all in the car. First, I need to get these bags in my car. The sooner we do that, the sooner we can all leave." He said as he picked up the bags and made his way to the car.

"Where are we going?" Catherine asked as she and Sara each grabbed the rest of the bags and followed him back to the parking lot. When he opened the trunk of his car and started putting bags in, the girls saw that it was already crammed with equipment.

"What's with all the stuff, Warrick?" Sara asked again.

"I'll explain in the car! We have to go! Grissom and everyone are already waiting on us!" he said as he got into the driver's seat. Sara and Catherine looked at each other with confusion before climbing into the car too.

1


	2. Chapter 2

Title: The Coffee Shop Murders

Author: Smokinhottie

Disclaimer:I don't own any of the CSI franchise

Chapter 2

"Now do you mind telling us what's going on, or do you want

to keep us in the dark a little while longer?" Catherine asked as they

sped through the evening traffic. Warrick had turned on the lights and

sirens the second they left the parking lot, and were now weaving in

and out of traffic like a racecar driver.

"Hey Dale Earnhardt Jr ! This isn't the Daytona 500#, you know!

This happens to be the Las Vegas Strip!" Sara said as she braced

herself in the backseat, while Warrick whipped in and out of lanes.

"Very funny Sara. Look, all I know is that Grissom wants us to

get there as quickly as possible and bring all of that equipment in the

back." Warrick quickly explained.

"Whoa, slow down Warrick and back up. Start from the

beginning. When did all this happen?" Catherine said as she

attempted to gather all the information.

"Ok...on my way to work tonight, Grissom called me. He said

that I needed to go to the lab and get some stuff. He wanted our code

duffels, our CSI kits, plenty of supplies, the audiovisual equipment, the

walkies, and a bunch of other stuff#. He told me that once I had all of

that, to meet him at the Starbucks coffee shop on East Avenue. Now

something tells me that he doesn't want to sit quietly and talk over a

cappuccino." Warrick said as he explained everything a little slower.

"Gee what was your first clue?" Said Sara sarcastically, "The situation equipment or the code duffel bags?"

"So where do Sara and I fit in to all of this?" Catherine said

as she tried to hold on to any thing to steady herself. Warrick

shrugged and shook his head.

"I don't know. That's the thing. Grissom told me that you

guys would probably get to the lab about the same time as I did. I was

supposed to get the stuff and you guys then meet him. If you weren't

there, I was to call you and tell you where to meet us. He told me that

it was important and to get there as soon as I could." He said.

Catherine nodded as she thought all of it over. She was beginning to

feel a little nervous about all of this. She didn't like being led blindly.

However, she trusted Grissom and knew that he must have his reasons.

They just had to wait until they got there and talked with him.

# Just a disclaimer I don't own Dale Earnhardt Jr even though I'd like to.

also don't own the Daytona 500.

# I totally don't know what you would take in a situation like this. I am

using what I think you would.


	3. Chapter 3

Title: The Coffee Shop Murders 

Author: Smokinhottie

Disclaimer: None of these characters are mine. Sad day.

Chapter 3

About a block away from the Starbucks#, the gang was

forced to stop at a police roadblock. Warrick rolled down the window

and looked out over the honking cars. He flashed his lights and an

officer motioned for him to pull into a special lane for the emergency

crews.

"You guys here for the crime lab?" The young officer said as

he came up to the window. Warrick nodded and pulled out his badge.

"Yeah what's going on?" Asked Warrick as he handed his

badge over.

"I don't rightly now sir. Seems like every law enforcement

official and emergency team is down at that Starbucks. You'd think

there was some big pow wow going on. I'm surprised the National

Guard hasn't shown up yet!" The officer said as he examined Warrick's

badge. "I was told to direct everyone other than law enforcement and

emergency personnel away from here and down the detour route they

have set up." Warrick nodded and took his badge back.

"Where do we go?" asked Catherine from the passenger

seat.  
"Well ma'mam it would seem you folks go on down to the left

here. No body told me anything else. Good luck." Said the officer as

he stepped back and allowed Warrick to drive on.

"Funny" thought Catherine as they moved on, " No ones told

us anything either."

Please Review!

# I don't own Starbucks! If I did I might just also own CSI! In my dreams!


	4. Chapter 4

Title: The Coffee Shop Murders

Author: Smokinhottie

Disclaimer:I don't own any of the CSI franchise

Chapter 4

Warrick pulled into the parking lot of the Starbucks and the trio instantly knew that something big was going down. It was pure chaos. There were fire, police, and ambulance crews standing by. Catherine was stunned as she slowly stepped out of the car. Warrick and Sara were already making their way towards the back of the car.

"Something tells me that you were right about Grissom not wanting to talk quietly over a cappuccino." Sara said as she came around to the front to stand by Catherine.

"What was your first clue?" Said Catherine with mild sarcasm as Warrick also came around to stand by them. He handed Catherine her code duffel and two other bags and she numbly took them from him as she continued to stare out at all of the confusion. They all stood side by side outside the car for a moment, all hesitant about going forward.

"Well," said Warrick with a slight sigh, "I guess we can safely say that we are all in for a long night." He looked at both women a moment before saying "you guys ready?" Catherine looked at him and back at the chaos.

"Let's get this party started." She said with a slight smile before walking towards the sea of red and blue lights.


	5. Chapter 5

Title: The Coffee Shop Murders 

Author:Smokinhottie

Disclaimer: Sadly I still don't own CSI or any of the characters. I do claim

ownership of the character called Hannah DeMingo.

Chapter 5

The trio found Grissom, Nick, and Brass standing next to a

large SWAT van in the midst of all the confusion.

"Grissom! What in the world is going on?" Catherine said as

they managed to break free from the mass.

"Why hello Catherine! I'm fine thank you. How are you doing

this lovely evening?" Grissom said in return with a big smile. Nick and

Brass chuckled a little before Catherine shot them both a dirty look.

"Seriously Grissom. What's going on?" Warrick said as he

and Sara walked up behind Catherine. Grissom sighed and looked to

Brass, who simply nodded.

"Well," said Grissom in a weary voice, "I received a phone call

this evening from Brass. He had a new lead on a case that we were

working on. The one with the people being murdered and dumped in

coffee houses?" Warrick nodded.

"I remember that one. 7 victims each murdered in a different

fashion, but all either killed or dumped in or near a coffeehouse. It

went cold after the last victim#." Said Warrick

"Stephanie Collins. 19 years old. Was working at the coffee

shop to pay for school. She was going to be a biochemist." Sara said

as she continued refreshing the case.

"It went cold after her." Catherine said as she finished

summing up the file, "We couldn't recover the gun from the scene or the

surrounding areas. No prints stood out among the many we lifted and

it had appeared that the scene was staged." Grissom nodded

"Well tonight is gets heated up again," he said " Our perp

has struck again."

"Yeah," said Nick, " Only problem is this time the victim is

alive and he's holding her hostage."

"Ok," said Catherine as she tried to sort all of this out in her

head, "Who is the victim and what is it that he wants?"

"Hostage's name is Hannah DeMingo. She's 7 years old and

a second grade student at Wild Oak Elementary." Brass said as he

stepped forward and opened the file in his hand. He gave it to Sara to

read and pass on. "He wants only one thing. Once he gets it, he says

he'll turn the girl over to us alive." Brass said as he continued to brief

them.

"What's he holding her with?" Warrick asked as he scanned

the file that Sara handed him.

"He's apparently got a shotgun and a few semiautomatics."

Said Nick

"That poor girl. She's got to be terrified." Catherine said

quietly thinking about her own 17-year-old daughter at home. She

quietly scanned the file as she listened to Brass.

"That is exactly why we are going to give him what he wants."

Brass said as he put the file back in the truck.

"Exactly what is it that he wants so badly that he's willing to

risk taking on half of Las Vegas in a Starbucks with a 7-year-old

hostage?" Sara asked in disbelief. Brass and Nick both looked to

Grissom, who sighed before answering.

"Me."

AHHHHHH! I know don't shoot me! Just go to the next chapter!


	6. Chapter 6

Title: The Coffee Shop Murders 

Author: Smokinhottie

Disclaimer: CSI and it's characters belong to CBS and more importantly Jerry Bruckhiemer

Chapter 6

Everyone looked at him in disbelief.

"Why Grissom? Why does he want you?" Catherine asked as

she tried to remain objective.

"Honestly? I don't know Cath. I have no idea why." Grissom

said remarkably calmly.

"He's going in with the most protection possible." Brass said

as if anticipating what Catherine was going to say next.

"Brass and I will accompany Grissom to the door. There we

will stay back, while Grissom goes and gets the girl. Once she is out, a

SWAT team will go in with us and take this guy out." Nick said as he

explained the plan.

"Wait a minute!" Said Sara, clearly upset, "Why are you

going in too?"

"Look man, you aren't going in without me." Said Warrick as

he shook his head.

"Why does anyone have to go in?" Sara said as she turned

and fussed at Warrick, "Isn't there another way?" The three of them

began to argue with each other. Grissom, who had remained quiet the

entire time, now turned and walked away from the group with his bag.

Only Catherine saw this and followed him.


	7. Chapter 7

Title: The Coffee Shop Murders 

Author: Smokinhottie

Disclaimer:I don't own any of the CSI franchise

Chapter 7

She found him across the parking lot, looking out over the

wide-open desert that ran down a hill beside the Starbucks. He stood

there, arms still crossed, staring off into the distance. Catherine quietly

came to stand beside him and gently touched his shoulder. Grissom

turned and looked at her. He offered a weak smile and she returned it.

She was still trying to keep her emotions in check. However, a few tears

managed to escape and roll down her cheek. Grissom, without a word,

gently wrapped an arm around her and pulled her to him. Catherine

completed the embrace by wrapping her arms around his middle and

burying her face in his chest.

"It's going to be ok Catherine." Grissom said after a moment

or two of silence. He ran his hands lightly up and down her back in an

attempt to soothe her.

"Why Gil? Why you?" Catherine said as she rested her head

on his chest.

"I don't know honey." He said as he pulled her tighter to him

and smoothed her hair. Truthfully, he didn't know why this guy wanted

to talk to him. What he did know was that he didn't want to worry

Catherine anymore than she already was.

Catherine lifted her head from his chest and looked at

Grissom. He looked tired and worn. He was wearing jeans, his CSI

jacket, and a gray t-shirt that now had little dark spots where her tears

had ended up. Catherine looked at him with new eyes. The thought

that she might never get to see him again if he went in, made her heart

ache and tried not to think about the negative things. Instead, she

attempted to memorize his face and remember all of the little details.

She put a hand to his cheek and gently stroked it with her thumb.

He was tall and handsome. A few years older than

Catherine, but still looked the same as he had in college#. She looked

over his soft features, which gave him his youthful appearance, and his

rich brown hair that was now faded with age. But the one thing she

wanted to remember, were his eyes. They told her everything. They

were bright blue with a hint of green that reminded her of the ocean.

Now, she searched those eyes for any clue as to what he was feeling

at that moment. Grissom knew exactly what she was doing, just smiled

and tenderly kissed her forehead.

"It's going to be ok." Was all he said. She couldn't help but

smile. He could read her as well as she could read him. Grissom was still

holding her in a loving embrace, and she rested her hands on his chest.

"Promise me something will you?" She said softly as she ran

her fingers across his collarbone. Grissom looked at her in with a

slightly puzzled look before nodding.

"Promise me that I will see you walk out those doors after this

nightmare is over." she said as her voice cracked slightly and Grissom

hushed her.

"Catherine. I promise I will come out of this alive." He said

softly. He knew he had to keep her fears at bay. Catherine shook her

head.

"But how can you say that? What if you can't keep that

promise? I don't think I could live if I had to attend your funeral." She

said as she lowered her face into her hands. Grissom sighed as he

gently took her hands in his and held them to his chest. Catherine

looked at him with tears in her eyes.

"Cath, there won't be a funeral. Not for a long time. I promise

everything will be ok. Have I ever broken a promise to you?" He said.

She looked into his eyes as he said this and saw that he meant every

word. She shook her head.

"Ok... I don't see any reason to start breaking them now,

right?" Again she nodded. At this particular moment, she truly didn't

trust herself to speak for fear of completely breaking down. Grissom

put a hand to her face and Catherine smiled a little to keep from

crying.

"So..." she said quietly, "What am I supposed to do while

you're off saving the world?"

"You and Sara are going to be in the truck. You will provide

the rest of us with information." he said quietly. Catherine looked at him

with disbelief.

"So you're telling me that I can't even go with you and make

sure you stay safe!? Gil please" She begged, "Let me go in." Grissom

sighed. He knew Catherine was capable of going in, but something

told him to keep her out of there. He looked at her and shook his head.

"Cath, what about Lindsay? She needs a mother. It would kill

her if she lost you. She already lost her father! She can't afford to lose

you too!" He said as he tried to change her mind. Grissom felt his

stomach turn as he thought back on that night.

Catherine's ex-husband had been killed in a car accident

about 4 years ago and had almost cost Lindsay her life too. Both had

been riding home, when Eddie lost control of the car and went off the

road into a very deep storm drain. Fortunately Catherine had saved

Lindsay from a watery grave by fishing her out of the sinking car.#

She turned to walk away and Grissom tried to take her arm

in an attempt to keep her from leaving.

"No Gil!" She said as she pushed him away, "Let me go!"

Grissom was becoming frustrated.

"Catherine please listen! Don't let Lindsay become an

orphan!" Grissom said as he took her arm again.

"But she never lost her father! Sure she lost Eddie, but you've

been more of a father than he ever was.# Can't you see that? She

absolutely adores you! Don't you think that losing you would kill her?"

Catherine said with exasperation as she whirled around and faced him.

She didn't want to fight now, but she was hurt by him making her stay

in the truck.

"Catherine... It's not the same!" Grissom said with frustration.

"Gil what are you doing? Why are you allowing this psycho

to control you?" Catherine said.

"Because Catherine! That man needs to be stopped! And

because there is a little girl is in that coffee shop and she's scared and

all alone with a crazed maniac!" Grissom said his voice raising in tone

and volume.

"Be reasonable Grissom! Please! I thought you told me to

never let the case get personal!" Catherine said matching his voice.

"Catherine that little girl is in there because of me! I think I

can afford to make this a little personal." Grissom said in a low growl.

Even that didn't make Catherine back down.

"Gil none of this is your fault." Catherine said gently as she

slowly realized what the root of the issue was. He was hurting for that

little girl.

"Oh yeah!? Well Catherine, I don't see how that is possible!

But trust me I'll feel so much better knowing that when I have to attend

that little girl's funeral! What about when her parents come up to me

and blame me for their little girl's death! Oh and what about Lindsay?

What happens when she finds out her mother was murdered? Who is

she going to blame?" Grissom said as the fight in him slowly began to

drain from him. He just couldn't put into words what was wrong and,

rather than try, he turned away from Catherine. He sat down on the

back of a truck and leaned forward. He held is head in his hands and

sighed. Catherine had remained silent and now walked over to him.

"Gil..." she said gently as she stroked the back of his head.

"Just imagine Catherine." Grissom said softly, not even

looking up at her, "That little girl in there is scared to death and at the

mercy of a mad man." Catherine sighed and shook her head.

"You'll get her out Gil, I know you will. You will save her." She

whispered as he got up and walked a little ways away. She was

struggling to stay strong for him. He could feel her breaking beside him

and sighed as he gently took her in his arms and squeezed her to him.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. After a

moment, Grissom pulled away from her and kissed her forehead.

"I just want you to be safe. I kept you out of the shop for

your protection." He whispered, "I don't doubt you, I just don't want

you anywhere near that man in there. Please will you trust me on this?"

Catherine took a deep breath and sighed.

"I trust you, Gil and I understand." she said softly

"Thank you Catherine." He said as he let out a deep breath,

"That helps me a great deal. Now I know that you will be completely

safe through this whole ordeal." Catherine nodded and looked at him

for a moment before nodding her head towards their bags on the

ground.

"We should probably get your gear on so that you're ready."

she said and Grissom nodded. He slowly walked to the bags and knelt

before opening his. Catherine watched as he pulled out one by one

each piece of gear that he had to wear. She could tell that he was

nervous even through his attempts to hide it. As Grissom began to pull

on his navy blue Kevlar vest, Catherine stepped forward and helped

him tighten the straps. Grissom was puzzled at first and Catherine

smiled a little.

"Just want you to be safe." she said as she continued to help

him with his gear.

Please review!

#Catherine and Grissom have known each other for years and I believe they grew up together. In one episode it refers to them both in the 4th grade science fair.

# Ever since they met, Grissom has been there for Catherine. I will explain more in their backgrounds. Just know that Grissom was more of a father than Catherine's ex-husband Eddie, because of the fact that Eddie drank, did drugs, and beat Catherine. Grissom was always there for her when she needed it.


	8. Chapter 8

Title: The Coffee Shop Murders

Author: smokinhottie

Disclaimer: I don't own anything of the CSI franchise. Sad day. I do own the little girl though.

Chapter 8

Brass sighed as he scrubbed his face with his hand. It was pointless to argue. No one was

going to be happy about anyone going in, especially Catherine and Sara. Catherine had

disappeared with Grissom somewhere to talk he supposed. Sara on the other hand, was

continuing to argue with Nick and Warrick. Finally, Brass decided to put an end to the argument.

He knew Nick would calm her down and talk some sense into her.

"Warrick, what do you say you and I go help Archie# set up the truck. You did get all that

stuff from the lab right?" Warrick nodded knowing Brass's reasoning. Both of them walked away

leaving Nick and Sara to stand together by themselves. Sara sighed as she looked at Nick. She

ran a hand through her hair as she tried to collect her thoughts and emotions. She couldn't

explain the feelings she was having. Begging him not to go in was close to begging him not to do

his job. She knew she shouldn't, but something inside her wanted to hang on to him and never let

go. She looked away as she tried to hide the tears now running down her face. Nick knew

immediately she was upset and drew her into his arms. She hadn't meant to cry, but something in

the way he held her made her completely break down. Nick rocked gently back and forth as he

held her.

"Sara, honey, it's going to be ok...alright?" he whispered in her ear.

Once Sara stopped crying, she remained in his arms, simply enjoying the comfort she found

there. She relaxed as she listened to Nick's strong heartbeat. She felt the rise and fall of his

chest with every breath he took and smelt the scent that was uniquely Nick's. As much as she

wanted to keep Nick from going in she knew it would be no use. She had seen the look of

determination in his eyes. He was going to make sure that little girl got out safely no matter what.

Now all she could do was try and make sure he stayed as safe as possible. She lifted her head

from his chest and looked at him. He was a tall Southern boy from Texas with a smile to make

anyone's heart melt. He was wearing jeans and a black t-shirt. His code bag was near by on the

ground and Sara reached down and pulled out his navy Kevlar vest. She helped him into it and

began tightening the straps. As Sara finished, Nick picked up her vest and helped her into it.

"Nick, what am I going to do while you are in there?" Sara said softly

"You are going to be with Catherine in one of the SWAT trucks that Brass and Warrick are

setting up." Sara sighed as she shook her head.

"I want to be near you Nick. I want to make sure you are safe. How can I even be sure I'll see

you again?" Nick sighed as he looked at her.

"How can I show you that everything will be all right?" Sara shook her head again.

"I don't know Nicky...I just don't know." Nick thought a moment before smiling a little. He

gently put a hand to Sara's cheek, bringing her face up to look at him. He gazed into her eyes

before oh-so-tenderly kissing her lips. At first, Sara couldn't react, and froze in shock.

However, once that feeling quickly passed, she kissed back. She gently slid her arms around

Nick's neck as he wrapped his arms around her waist. Both were completely caught up in the

kiss as it slightly deepened.# When they pulled apart, they rested their foreheads against one

another's and struggled to calm their racing hearts. Nick smiled as he kissed her lightly again on

the lips.

"Does that help any?" he whispered in a slightly raspy voice. Sara smiled and nodded before

kissing his forehead.

"By the way, I'm going to take the liberty of guessing that you have no objections to me kissing

you. Am I right?" He said almost hesitant about what he had just done. Sara nodded again.

"None what so ever." She said and then sighed slightly. She put her hand to his cheek and

Nick reached up and took it in his.

" Sara...don't worry about the what ifs. It's going to be ok. I promise." Sara looked at him with

some doubt. She felt like a child as she asked for reassurance.

"You promise?" She said with the utmost seriousness.

"I promise...Cross my heart and hope to..." Nick said as he went to make the cross across his

chest and finish the saying, but Sara begged him to stop.

"Nick" she pleaded, "Don't even joke about it. It's not funny. Please Nick. Please don't." Nick

smiled as an attempt to reassure her. He realized that she was truly afraid for him.

"Ok Sara, I won't joke about it anymore." He said as he kissed her forehead and pulled her

into a hug. At that moment, his pager beeped and he pulled away some to read the message from

Warrick.

"Time to go." He said as he took Sara's hand and walked towards the SWAT vans.


	9. Chapter 9

Title: The Coffee Shop Murders

Author: smokinhottie

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the CSI stuff.

Chapter 9

Catherine had just finished rechecking Grissom's gear when they got the page. Grissom studied

his pager a moment before looking at Catherine and taking a deep breath.

"Here we go." As he bent to pick up their bags, Catherine stopped him.

"Wait Gil! I have to give you something." Grissom looked confused as he straightened and

watched Catherine fumble with her necklace. When she finally got it off, she handed it to him.

"What's this for Cath?" He said as he looked down at the small gold cross in his hand.

"Lindsay gave it to me for Mother's Day when she was about 8-years old. She said that it was

supposed to protect me against the 'bad people'. I want you to wear it so it can protect you.

Besides, Lindsay would never forgive me if something happened to Uncle Grissom." she said as

she took the necklace from him and fastened it around his neck. Grissom looked at Catherine in

sheer disbelief. 'How could he not absolutely love this woman with all of his heart and soul?'

"Thanks Catherine. This means a lot to me, but what about your protection against the bad

people?" Catherine just smiled and shook her head.

"I'll be ok. I want you to wear it. It's you I'm worried about." she said as she lifted the cross

and placed a small kiss on it. Grissom smiled and hugged Catherine once more before leading her

to the trucks.


	10. Chapter 10

Title: The Coffee Shop Murders Author: smokinhottie Disclaimer: I don't own any of the CSI stuff. Sad day.  
I just want to thank everyone who has been sending me reviews. They have been very helpful in giving me encouragement.

Chapter 10

Once there, they met Brass, Greg, Nick and Sara. Warrick leaned out of the truck and handed everyone a headset. Brass came and stood in front of a large group of officers.  
"All right...here's the 411 on what's going down. In order for everyone to come out of this alive, each of you must think and do your part. I know that I don't need to remind you that one small mistake could cost some lives and we don't want any of that happening here tonight. Now according to these plans, we have plenty of options that we can use to ensure everyone's safety. Grissom will enter the shop at the front door." Brass explained, "Nick and I will stand behind him to make sure the girl is safely released into our custody. We will then back away from the door, leaving Grissom inside. Grissom I need you to keep this guy talking through all of this. We have to try and figure out what the deal is with him and how to end this without bloodshed." Grissom nodded. As Brass continued on with the briefing, Catherine gently reached out and took Grissom's hand. He looked her and smiled as he gave her hand a squeeze of reassurance. "Once the girl is in our custody, we go to our plan of entry. Everyone uses his or her call signs#. Decaf 1 you are covering the south side of the building, coming in through the back door. Meanwhile, Decaf 2 covers the west side, making their entrance at the side door used for storage. Finally Decaf 3 will accompany Nick and me through the front door on the north side. East side has no points of entry and is next to a hill. This guarantees that all of our bases are covered. We have to take this guy out, before he gets to Grissom. I want snipers on this guy the entire time. He may be wearing a vest so use armor-piercing bullets. If this thing goes south, he needs to be taken out. I'm not going to let him start a killing spree. Especially before we get that girl out. Everyone clear?" he said and was answered by a chorus of affirmatives. "All right let's move out." Brass said as the groups split up. He walked over to the CSIs. "Guy's you might want to wish each other good luck now. We'll be going in soon." Everyone nodded and Warrick stepped away to call his wife.  
"Hey babe. How's it going?" He said when she picked up.  
"Nothing much, what are you up to?" There was silence.  
"Baby?" Warrick sighed. He knew it wasn't going to make her happy but she needed to know.  
''Baby are you there? You're scaring me"  
''I'm here sugar"  
"What's wrong"  
"Honey I need you to understand...there's a little girl who has been taken hostage...and"  
"That's terrible is she alright"  
"We don't know babe,...that's the thing.." He grew quiet as he searched for the best way to break the news to her that he was about to walk into a war zone.  
"Warrick... baby... you are really scaring me...please tell me what's wrong...I promise I won't be upset"  
"...Lisa...I have to go in and take the guy out"  
" There's no way...we've been watching it on the news here...please tell me that there is some way for you to get out of it"  
"Lisa" was all he said. She could tell from his voice that he had no other choice.  
"Who's going in with you?" She said quietly.  
"Nick, Brass, and an entire SWAT team. Grissom is going to be exchanged for the girl and "  
"...what baby?" "Nick and I will go in with the SWAT team and take the guys down and get Grissom out." She was silent and Warrick was wondering if she'd hung up.  
"Lisa"  
"I'm sorry honey. I'm just trying to take all of this in...Ok"  
"Lisa, I gotta go soon. We're getting ready to go in"  
"Ok baby, please be safe...and Warrick"  
"Yeah hon?" "I love you." Warrick smiled.  
"Love you too babe. I'll call you when we get out"  
"Ok bye"  
"Bye" Warrick hung up the phone and wandered back to the group. Brass saw Warrick and walked over to meet him.  
"Hey, you ready?" he asked. Warrick sighed.  
"I'm ready to get that little girl back to her parents." Brass nodded " I know, we all want that right now. We'll get her out of there. Is everything ready in the truck?" Warrick nodded.  
"Just waiting on Catherine and Sara." "Ok Warrick. Let's get this show on the road. Alright everyone, if everybody is ready let's rock and roll. You guys ready for this?" he said as everyone nodded. He then turned and directed the groups of officers. "I want sniper and entry teams ready and in place. We need to make this quick and safe people. Let's move! Ok Warrick, are we ready in the truck?" "Archie and I got everything set up. We're waiting on your order." Warrick said and Brass sighed as he ran a hand over his face.  
"Ok...Tell Archie to boot us up. You and Greg in one truck and Catherine and Sara in the other. Everyone needs to use his or her call signs. Catherine, you and Sara are Charlie 1. Warrick, after you and Nick get the girl, you can join Greg in the truck. You guys are Alpha 1. My call sign is Bravo 1 and Gil yours is Echo 1#. Ok? We all good?" Everyone nodded and split up. Catherine and Sara each gave Brass a hug before going to their trucks. Sara kissed Grissom on the cheek for luck before going off with Nick. Grissom helped Catherine into the truck. She leaned out and kissed his cheek. "Good luck." she said nervously.  
"Thanks Catherine...promise me that no matter what happens, you will stay in the truck. Ok?" Catherine nodded and watched as he placed a small kiss on the cross around his neck# before turning and walking away. Meanwhile, on the other side of the parking lot, Nick was also putting Sara in the truck. He drew her into his arms and gently kissed her lips before helping her into the truck.  
"Stay in the truck, please. It will all be over soon. I promise." He said. Sara nodded slightly and forced a smile. Nick knew what she was thinking and kissed her one more time. "Good luck Nick. Be careful please." she whispered. She turned to go into the truck when Nick gently took her hand and pulled her back to him. He tenderly kissed her lips and looked into her eyes.  
"I love you Sara." he whispered. Sara smiled with her eyes shining.  
"I love you too, Nick." she said and kissed him one last time before watching him walk away to join the others.


	11. Chapter 11

Title: The Coffee Shop Murders

Author: smokinhottie

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the CSI stuff.

Chapter 11

"You ready, Gil?" Brass asked as he came to stand by Grissom in the command tent. He had been staring at the building in front of him. Grissom chuckled dryly.

"About as ready as I'll ever be Jim." Brass nodded.

" I know it may sound lame, but don't worry. We got your back. You've got all the protection you could ever have." Grissom nodded as he reached up and felt Catherine's cross under his t-shirt. He smiled a little just thinking about her.

"Hey... you don't look like someone who's about to go into a war zone." Nick said as he and Warrick joined the others. Grissom smiled in an attempt to appear relaxed and shook his head.

"No, I guess I don't. You both ready?" He said softly. Nick and Warrick both nodded and Brass picked up his walkie.

"All right...Operation Decaf Latte are go. Let's hope for the best and good luck to all." He said into the walkie. Multiple voices could be heard confirming the message.

In her SWAT truck, Catherine nervously stared at the screen in front of her. It showed the live feed from Grissom's headset. She took a deep breath in hopes of calming herself down.

"Grissom?" She said quietly into the walkie

"Yes, Cath?"

"We are ready when you are."

"Understood. Awaiting furthur instructions from head mocha." Everyone smiled, glad for a bit of comic relief.

"Very funny, Gil. Real cute...alright people I'm making the call now." He said as he took a deep breath and picked up the reciever to dial into the coffee shop. After a brief, pause the ringing was answered.

"Yeah?"

"This is Captain Jim Brass of the Las Vegas PD. We are going to cooperate with you only if you cooperate with us. Now...I need to make sure the girl is alright."

"She's fine."

"Look man...I gotta talk to her." There was a rustle and then the small frightened voice of the little girl was heard.

"Hello?"

"Hannah?" Brass said

"Yes?"

" Hi sweetie...my name is Jim. I'm with the police. We're coming in to get you soon. Are you ok?" said gently

"Yes sir. I'm scared." Brass sighed.

"I know honey...you're being very brave right now. I need you to hang on a little longer until we can get to you. Do you think you can be brave for just a little while longer?"

"I think so..."

"Good girl Hannah. We're coming sweetheart." The man's voice was heard on the phone.

"Are you satisfied?"

"Yes. Now you wanted Gil Grissom right?" Brass said as he tried to focus.

"Yeah...I want to see him."

" Alright he's going to go in to get the girl and give her to two of my guys. They will be waiting outside. Deal?" He prayed the guy would take the deal.

"Yeah it's a deal." the man said finally and then hung up.

"Ok here we go." Nick, Warrick, and Grissom walked to the main entrance. Nick and Warrick stopped a few feet away. Grissom turned and looked at them.

"No matter what happens, keep Catherine and Sara safe, and make sure you get the girl. Don't worry about me. You just worry about not getting shot."

"We'll stay right here until you bring her out." Warrick said.

"Take care Grissom," Nick said, "Watch your back."

Grissom nodded and walked towards the door. He took another deep breath and closed his eyes also in an attempt to calm his nerves.

"Bravo-1, this is Echo-1. I'm going in." he said as he drew his gun and slowly opened the door to the Starbucks.

Inside was completely dark, the only light coming from the outside through the tall windowpanes making up 3/4 of the restaurant. He paused and took a moment for his eyes to adjust. When he was ready, he quickly scanned the restaurant. A horseshoe shaped counter was directly in front of him containing the registers. Several tall bookshelves lined the back wall. Tables and chairs were all throughout the room. A light was coming from the hallway at the back of the store.

"Bravo-1, this is Echo-1. No sign of our mystery man yet or the girl. I'm going to go further in." he said as he slowly made his way across the room.

"Roger that Echo-1, Standing by." Brass said from outside. Grissom silently crossed the room to the doorway that led him down the hall to a break room. There he saw the girl bound and gagged in a chair in the middle of the room. Next to her stood a man with a pump action shotgun. He was wearing dark clothes and a ski mask. Grissom slowly put away his weapon before stepping into the light.

"I'm coming in " he said as he held up his hands and slowly walked into the room.

"Who are you?" The man asked.

" I'm here for the girl." Grissom said calmly as he looked at Hannah. "Hannah, honey, will you do me a favor? Will you nod your head if you are alright?" Hannah nodded as tears ran down her face. It broke Grissom's heart. She looked so much like Catherine's daughter, Lindsay, it scared him.

Meanwhile, in the truck, Catherine felt her own heart stop as she looked at the little girl. She looked so afraid. Brass shook his head.

"Ok Grissom. Untie her and slowly get her out of there." Brass said through the walkie.

"I'm going to untie her and let her go. Then you and I will talk." He said as he slowly made his way to Hannah.

"You still haven't answered my question. Who are you?" The man asked, this time a little more agitated than before. Catherine held her breath as she watched the man grow angry.

"My name is Gil Grissom. I'm who you really want. Ok? Let her go and then you and I can talk. Let her go...she has nothing to do with this. It's between you and me." The man thought this over.

"Ok... but nothing funny, or you die." Grissom nodded as he began to untie Hannah. The man with the gun stood behind him with the gun aimed at his head.

" Your name is Hannah isn't it?" She nodded.

"You have a very pretty name." he said as he ungaged her.

" Thank you."

"You're very welcome. Now Hannah, I know you are very scared, but do you think you could be brave for me?" Hannah nodded.

"Ok you and I... we're going to take a walk to the front door and see some friends of mine. Nick and Warrick are going to be standing out there waiting for you. They are going to make sure you stay safe. Ok?" Hannah nodded again. He leaned close and whispered.

"If anything happens, I want you to run as fast as you can to the door and get out. Ok?" she nodded as Grissom stood and brought Hannah to stand behind him. As he was standing, the guy with the gun was getting antsy. Grissom stood facing him.

"We are going to walk to the front door to let her out." he said as he began slowly backing up towards the door.

As he reached the door however, the man with the gun suddenly seemed to not like the idea and began waving the gun around. He fired it at Grissom, missing and hitting the door frame instead. Brass was instantly on the walkie.

"Get out of there Gil. Forget the deal! Get the girl and run!"Grissom turned and scooped up Hannah in his arms as he ran. He ran down the hallway and out into the front area. One of the bullets entered his shoulder and he dropped Hannah as he fell to his knees. In the truck, Catherine gasped.

"Gil! Get up! Run!" The man with the gun had made it out into the open area and Grissom rose and tried to fight him off.

"Run Hannah! Run out the doors!" he shouted to Hannah, who hesitated and then ran to the door. She burst through them and into Nick's waiting arms. Warrick covered him as Nick scooped Hannah up and ran back to the truck. Grissom watched as Hannah was carried away while he continued to fight the man off. Suddenly there was a blow to his knees from behind him and Grissom fell to his knees again. The man with the shotgun took the opprotunity to hit Grissom in the head with the butt of the gun, knocking him out. The other man immediately took Grissom's gun as he lay unconscious on the floor.


	12. Chapter 12

**Title: The Coffee Shop Murders **

**Author: smokinhottie **

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the CSI stuff. **

**Chapter 12 **

Catherine stared at the screen in shock. Outside, Brass immediately picked up the phone and dial inside. However there wasn't an answer. Meanwhile Catherine watched the screen in front of her.

'This can't be happening.' she thought. ' Nothing was going to go wrong. Grissom promised he'd be alright.' All she could see was the front door. She couldn't see Grissom until the head set shifted a little and then she could see his face. Blood was trickling down it and he appeared to be unconscious. She felt her heart break to be so helpless. She called his name, but he didn't wake up. The worst was happening.

" Brass..." Sara said over the walkie, " What just happened?"

"I don't know. There must be someone else in there. He was fighting off that guy. Then I see his knees go out from underneath him. I can't tell what's going on anymore. What can you see?"

" Not much. We can't get him to respond. We are also pretty sure he's unconscious." Sara explained. Brass swore.

"Jim," Catherine said, " From what we can see, it looks like they're moving him." Sara nodded.

"The headset he was wearing is still on, but we can't see much. Hold on..." she said as she focused on the screen. The headset moved again to reveal Grissom being dragged to the back.

"Brass," Sara said, " They're taking him to the back." Brass swore again. He had to think of what to do next. Then came the ring. Brass took a deep breath before picking up the phone.

"Yeah?" he said.

"Captain Brass?" came the chilling voice of the man.

"Yeah. Where is my guy? You weren't supposed to do anything to him!" Brass yelled into the phone.

" I would tone it down a bit if I were you. You do want to see him alive again...don't you?" Brass sighed.

" What do you want?"

"Oh I've got what I want. You will have to wait to get him back. So...Captain Brass...the next time I call you, you might want to try to be a little more civil." The man said before he hung up. Brass swore as he wound up to throw the phone, but slammed it back into the cradle instead.

"Ok Bravo-1..." Sara said trying to be rational. " The guy has Grissom... What is he going to do now?"

"Charlie-1...We don't know," Brass said softly as he pinched the bridge of his nose in an attempt to relieve the stress.

" Bravo-1...So what's the next move, Brass?" Catherine said tearfully, "We have to go in and get Grissom. I mean we don't even know if he's ok."

"I know Catherine, but right now we have to be careful. We have to think this through. We can't go storming in there without knowing what's happening in there. For now, we're going to have to wait until the next call. That's all we can do besides...pray Grissom makes it out alive. You hang in there I'm going to go see Nick and Hannah. We'll go from there once I have more information. All right?" He said gently.

"Roger that Bravo-1" Sara said as she tried to comfort Catherine.


	13. Chapter 13

**Title: The Coffee Shop Murders **

**Author: smokinhottie **

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the CSI stuff. **

**Chapter 13 **

Hannah had run out of the store and into the arms of Nick. He quickly picked her up and carried her to safety, while Warrick covered him. Nick took her to the first ambulance and sat her down on a stretcher. She had tears streaming down her face and she clung to Nick.

"He's still in there!" She cried as she buried her face in Nick's chest. "The bad man was hitting him!" Nick clenched his teeth in anger as he tried to comfort the little girl.

"It's ok Hannah." he said softly as he knelt in front of her. "I'm going to get him out. He's going to be ok." Hannah shook her head and reached for Nick.

"No please! They will hurt you too! Please don't go in there!" Hannah cried and Nick drew her into a hug.

"I don't want you to get a boo-boo too!" Hannah said with a sob and Nick was shocked.

"Hannah who has a boo-boo?" Nick said gently as Hannah sniffled a little.

"Mr. Grissom...he has a really bad boo-boo on him. It was bleeding really bad!" She explained and Nick sighed as Brass joined them.

"Hey sweetie, Nick what's going on?" Brass said. Nick took a deep breath and looked at Hannah.

"Hannah, sweetie, can you show me and my friend Jim here where Grissom was bleeding with his boo-boo?" Nick said gently. She sniffled a few more times and nodded before putting a finger to Nick's shoulder.

"He was hurt there." she said and then gently touched Nick's head. " And there. The bad man hit him with his gun." Nick looked to Brass and back at Hannah.

"Ok Hannah. You've been very brave. Thank you so much. Can you give me a second to speak with my buddy here? I'll be right back." Hannah nodded and Nick stood and stepped away with Brass.

"So what do you think?" Brass said and Nick just sighed.

"She's ok physically, but she's terrified of the man. Any luck locating her parents?" Nick said softly. Brass shook his head.

"We've been looking for them since this thing got started and we haven't gotten in touch with them yet." Brass said as he looked at the scared little girl at the back of the ambulance. Nick took a deep breath before saying quietly.

"I think we should let her stay in the truck with Catherine and Sara. She'll feel better being with them and when we get Grissom out we can take her to the hospital." Brass nodded

"Did we get anything from the video feed?" Nick said anxiously. Brass shook his head tiredly.

"Warrick and Greg are going over it with Archie now. We'll see what they can turn up." Nick nodded and stared off at the coffee shop. Brass put a hand on Nick's shoulder and smiled a little.

"Don't worry, we'll get him out. Why don't you go and take Hannah to Catherine and Sara and then meet me over at the truck with Archie." Nick nodded and walked back over to Hannah.

"Come here sweetie, let's go see Mrs. Catherine, ok?" he said as he gently picked her up and carried her away, while Brass walked away to a different truck.


	14. Chapter 14

Title: Coffee Shop Murders

Title: Coffee Shop Murders

Author: Smokinhottie

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I do not own any of these characters. I wish I did!

Chapter 14

All Grissom could remember was letting Hannah out of the store and then fighting off the man with the gun. He gingerly sat up and leaned back against the wall. He felt sick, dizzy, and his head was throbbing. He gently reached back and felt a large lump that was bleeding slightly. He also became aware of the pain in his shoulder. He remembered in shock that he had been shot and gazed down at his shoulder. There was a large hole and Grissom clenched his teeth as he tenderly probed the area.

The bullet appeared to have completely gone through him. His vest had a hole in it with some of the padding coming out of it. The pain was so unbearable that he almost passed out again. Instead, he tried to breathe deeply and apply some pressure to the area.

Once he did this, he began to look around the room he was in. From what he could tell, he was in the back room, where Hannah had been found. Grissom saw the man dressed in dark clothing and wearing a ski mask, sitting with his back to him. The man was sitting at a desk cleaning a double pump action sawed off shotgun. Grissom was pretty sure that it was what had given him the lovely headache, but not the gunshot wound. Another thing he noticed was that he no longer had his gun or headset with him. At that moment, the man at the desk turned and faced Grissom.

"Why Mr. Grissom, long time no see! How are you?" He said with mock politeness. Grissom winced as he tried to stand. Instead, he felt light headed and slid back down the wall.

"What do you want? You are the one who wanted to speak to me right?" Grissom said groggily. The man chuckled slightly.

"That's right Mr. Grissom. You are here because of me. You took something of mine and I've come to get it back." He said as he rose and slowly crossed the room to Grissom.

"Well I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about. I don't recall ever meeting you or for that matter taking anything from you.' Grissom said. He truly had no idea what this guy was talking about. Not to mention, he appeared to be hanging onto sanity by a thread. Grissom was not about to start arguing with a mad man holding a shot gun.

"How'd you like for me to jog your memory?" He said as he poked the gun into his chest. Grissom shook his head.

"No, you've already done a fine job of that. Trust me." He said.

"Well I'm not afraid to do it again if I have to." said the man as he jabbed the barrel of the gun into Grissom's chest. At that moment, the other man came into the room.

"That's enough. Be patient. In time he will pay for what he has done." The man said as he stepped between Grissom and the man with the gun.

"Isn't the accused entitled to know what he is being accused of?" Grissom said as he still struggled to remain focused through the pain.

"You will soon find out. We better make that phone call if we plan to get out of here." Said the calm man. Grissom felt his heart stop. He knew his chances of survival dropped drastically if they left the building. However he knew he had to play it cool.

"May I ask where we are going?" he said carefully. All he received in return were several punches to the face, chest and stomach before being forced into a chair.

Ok! Here is a brand new chapter! Now please be kind and click on the little box that says "Submit Review"! Please and Thank You!! :D


	15. Chapter 15

C h a p t e r 1 5

smokinhottie

Disclaimer: sigh...still don't own any of them...except Hannah

Hello again!! Im back!! Sorry I've been gone awhile!! Lots of things have happened! IM GETTING MARRIED!! I promise to try to post as often as possible! One last thing! If anyone also reads Law and Order CI stories and knows who wrote or the title of a story I've been searching for I'd love and email!! In the story Bobby gets shot chasing down a suspect and dies. However he returns almost as a ghost and talks to Alex and Logan. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE HELP ME!! I love the story but cant find it!! Thats what i get for moving twice!!

Warrick, Nick, and Brass all stood nervously around the phone, while Catherine and Sara waited in the truck. Hannah was sitting behind Sara and Catherine wrapped in a blanket.

"Mrs. Willows?" She said quietly

"Yes sweetheart?" Catherine said as she stood and came to sit by her on the bench.

"I'm scared." she said as she pulled the blanket closer around her.

"Why are you scared honey? It's all over. You're safe now. No one is going to try to hurt you. We are all police people." She said as she wrapped an arm around the little girl. Hannah nodded slowly.

"Whats going to happen to him?" she said after a moment. Catherine was confused.

"Who are you talking about honey?" she said.

"The man who came and got me. The one that told me to run out the door to you." she said.

"You mean Mr. Grissom?" Hannah nodded and Catherine sighed a bit.

"Hannah . . . Mr. Grissom . . . We are doing the best we can to get him out of there." Hannah suddenly became upset.

"He's not going to get hurt because of me? " she said as her eyes filled with tears. Catherine drew her closer and hugged her.

"No honey...This is not your fault...Ok? None of this is your fault. You don't worry about anything ok?" Catherine said as she looked the little girl in the eye. Hannah nodded slowly and dried her eyes.

"I have an idea." Catherine said," How about you lay down and I'll tuck you in.OK? You wanna try to get alittle bit of sleep? I know it's really late." Hannah nodded and lay down to allow Catherine to tuck her in. After tucking her in, Catherine placed a small kiss on the top of her head. She was turning to go back to her seat, when Hannah lifted her head and spoke.

"Mrs. Willows?" Catherine stopped and looked at the little girl.

"I hope he gets out of there ok." She said as she drifted off to sleep. Catherine smiled a little before kissing her head again.

"Me too sweetheart...Me too." She whispered before heading back to her seat. She hoped that by saying Grissom was going to be ok enough would somehow make it come true. However, as she tried to comfort the little girl, Catherine could tell in her heart that his chances were growing slimmer by the minute. She shook her head in an attempt to clear the negative thoughts out of her heart and mind. Sara tried to smile a little, as Catherine sat down.

"She's a sweetie, isn't she? Y ou're great with her." Sara said hoping to help her friend think of happier things. Catherine nodded as she thought of her own daughter. The similarity still gave her chills.

"I've had some practice." she said as she got herself situated back in front of the screens. Sara nodded.

"You hanging in there?" Sara whispered and Catherine shook her head as she put her face in her hands.

"I don't know Sara...This is killing me...having him in there...with that maniac..." She stopped not sure if she could finish. Sara put a hand to Catherine's back and rubbed it some.

"You know he's strong. You know he'll fight to come out of there alive. He's going to fight to get back to you." Sara said as Catherine regained some composure. She nodded, knowing that what Sara was saying was true. Grissom is going to come back to her.

"Thanks Sara. She said as she wiped her eyes.

"It's ok Catherine. You'd do the same for me if that was Nick in there. I don't know what I would do if something happened to him..." she said as she trailed off in to silence. She took a deep breath to keep from thinking about it. Catherine smiled gently before speaking.

"You love him, don't you?" Sara nodded slowly as she smiled a little.

"Yeah...I love him...with all my heart." she said as she looked at Catherine. "How did you know?"

"Just in the way you both are when you're together. I can tell he loves you so much. He's always had a thing for you." Sara blushed as she nodded.

"Yeah he finally told me that he loved me tonight when he put me in the truck." she said softly as she remembered those words.

"Im happy for you both. You both were meant for each other." Catherine said with a smile.

"Kind of like you and Grissom?" Sara said as she looked at her mother. Catherine was slightly shocked and the young woman had to laugh.

"It's pretty obvious that he loves you." she said upon seeing Catherine's stunned features. Catherine smiled and laughed softly.

"Yeah I think its safe to say we were meant for each other. God I love him so much." She said as she looked out the door at the coffee shop.

"He's going to make it Catherine." Sara said softly.

"I hope so." Catherine whispered.


	16. Chapter 16

C h a p t e r 1 6

Chapter 16

smokinhottie

Disclaimer: Idon't own any of them except Thunder Boss and hannah! Enjoy!!

Back inside the coffee shop, Grissom was receiving a heavy beating, as the man with the shotgun hit him again and again. He continued to jab him in the chest and hit him in the face until the other man came back from the front of the store.

"Mr. Grissom. I'm going to make a phone call. The man who appeared to be calling the shot, said as his partner yanked Grissom up off the floor and sat him back in the chair. His shoulder was screaming with pain as he stood on the brink of consciousness.

"Now I want you to talk to your friends out there and get us our get away car. No police SWAT. NO ONE. The leader strolled leisurely in circles around Grissom taunting him a she struggled with the pain. We want it brought around to the parking lot behind the building. It is an unmarked black utility van parked in the shopping center down the road. Now if anything goes wrong or there are any police or if you just aren't cooperating...I'll kill you and you know what else?" the man said as he bent down to whisper in Grissom's ear.

"I'll send Thunder here to kill Catherine...and her daughter Lindsay and I can assure you Mr. Grissom that I'm dead serious." Grissom felt his heart stop cold. The man with the shotgun AKA Thunder, smiled at him with a devilish grin.

"If you lay a hand on either of them..."Grissom growled but he didn't get a chance to finish. Thunder hit him again in the face causing Grissom to be thrown from his chair. Thunder laid his weapon down on the table and picked Grissom backup, making sure he grabbed the wounded shoulder. He even squeezed extra hard on that particular shoulder each time he picked him up off the floor. Thunder's hands were completely covered in Grissom's blood, but he didn't seem to notice.

"Shut him up." The man said, "I'm ready to make that phone call, if you are Mr. Grissom. "Grissom leaned forward and clenched his teeth has he tasted blood in his mouth. He spit some of it out on to the floor and nodded. With a smile of pure evil, the man picked up the phone and dialed.

Outside, Brass, who had been speaking with the rest of the CSI crew, was interrupted by the ringing phone.

"Captain Brass?" he said as he quickly picked up the phone.

"Captain Brass! How are we?" the man said in a cocky voice.

"Fine. Look if we are going to do this right, how about an a me? Since we seem to be civilized." was all Brass said.

"You can call me Boss for now." the man said after a moment.

"Ok Boss, what is it that you want from us?" Brass said, careful of his choice of words and tone.

"Captain Brass," Boss said continuing to use his sarcastic t one, "I've already got what I want. No where's what we're going to do and you will do as I say. It took every ounce of will power to keep Brass from busting into the store and giving this guy the worst beating of his life. He silently looked to the rest of the team before saying anything.

"Ok Boss...What is it that you want me to do?"

"We want our car so we can get out of here. No tracking, no police, nothing."

"Why should we do what you ask?" Brass said. By now Catherine, Sara, Nick, and Warrick were all listening in with Brass.

"Because," Boss said coldly, "If you don't, you are going to be short one team member. Mr. Grissom will be going home in a body bag." Catherine gasped as she stared in shock at Brass and then at the coffee shop.

"Let me talk to him." Brass said as he tried to stay focused, "I need to make sure he's alive. And so help me if you kill him, or don't keep up your end of the deal, I will have cops so far up your ass that it won't even be funny."

"I'm not laughing Captain Brass."

"Neither am I. Put my guy on the phone." Brass was having a hard time keeping the anger out of his voice, but he didn't care. He was angry and wanted to make sure that Boss knew he meant business. There was a rustle and then Grissom's voice was heard.

"Jim?" he said sounding as if he were far away.

"Hey Gil, are you alright?" Brass asked as he put on the speakerphone. Everyone huddled around the phone to hear what Grissom was saying.

"Not really, I've been shot. I'm losing a lot of blood." he said weakly. Brass swore to himself.

"Grissom, we're going to try to get you out of there. Ok?" Brass said as he tried to find a way to reassure his best friend as well as himself.

"Grissom?" Catherine said softly, "It's me Catherine. The rest of the team is here too. Please hang in there." There was a pause and then they barely heard him.

"Hey Cath, I'll be ok. Don't worry about me. Jim, they need their car. Do you think you can get it?"

"Gil...honestly? I don't know what to do. Brass said a she took a deep breath. "If we don't get to you, we need a way to track you."

"No Jim! We can't do that! You heard them, they'll kill him! You can't jeopardize his life like that!" Catherine pleaded with Brass as desperation started to creep into her.

"Cath," came Grissom's quiet voice over the phone.

"Yes?" she said as she fought to remain strong for him.

"You have to trust Jim. You need to help him do what ever he has to do. Ok? Trust him. Everything...will be...ok..." He said as he slipped away.

"Grissom!" Catherine cried as she listened helpless as the love of her life slipped further away from her. There was a rustle as the man got back on the line.

"Ok Captain Brass. What's it going to be? Car or body bag? Have the car waiting out back. Nothing sneaky! And I'd hurry your friend isn't going to last much longer." with that the man hung up leaving the team in shocked silence. Brass cried out in frustration as he wound up to throw the phone. Instead he slammed it back down into the cradle.

"Brass," Catherine said firmly with new found strength as she turned and looked Brass straight in the eye, She felt the anger that Brass also felt beginning to rise in her. She was not going to lose Grissom without a fight. " What are we going to do? Either way Grissom is dead!" Brass rubbed his temple as he thought of what to do.

"Catherine, I honestly don't know what to do."

"Brass, if we go in there now. We don't know what to expect. Not to mention we would be taking a chance with Grissom's life, possibly putting him in danger if we do." Warrick said.

"Yeah," said Nick, "But what happens once we let them go? They have their car and Grissom is a free ticket out of here, straight through the barricades! Who's to say they won't kill him once they have the car out of the parking lot?"

"He's right, Sara said, "The odds are better if we get him now."

"We could lose him permanently, if we let them get Grissom into that car. Greg said as he timidly put in his suggestion. Brass, who had been quietly listening, looked at the store and back at the small group standing in front of him.

"We get him now." he said with strength he didn't know he had. He wasn't going to let his best friend die a the hands of a mad man in a Starbucks. Not in this lifetime. We don't have much time. Now here's the plan...


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

smokinhottie

Disclaimer: yep do i even have to say it??

Back inside, Boss put the phone down and looked at Grissom, who was barely conscious. Thunder took a syringe full of a clear solution and stuck Grissom in the arm. Slowly Grissom began to feel stronger and more awake.

"No sense killing you until we get you where we're going." Boss said to Grissom.

"Where are you taking me?" Grissom said as he tried to focus.

"Oh you'll soon find out." said Boss as he motioned to Thunder. "Let's stand Mr. Grissom." The other man untied Grissom and physically made him stand.

"Why do you want me?" Grissom said.

"You took something of mine and now you are going to pay for it." Thunder said as he cracked his neck and knuckles.

"But I don't understand. I've never met you." Grissom said and Thunder became more and more upset. Finally, he exploded.

"TELL ME WHERE MY DAUGHTER IS!" Thunder bellowed as he reached for the shotgun and jabbed it in to Grissom's chest.

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Brass had everything ready. The car was in place and ready. After making sure that every SWAT and police officer was pulled back away f r ont the back, he strapped on his bulletproof vest. Now all he had to do was set the ball rolling and make the call. He looked at the building and saw a flash of lightning cut a cross the sky. A storm was brewing almost like the trouble Brass could feel growing inside the coffee shop. He took a deep breath and tried to shake those thoughts from his mind before picking up the phone and dialing inside.

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It was Boss who picked up the phone after a few rings.

"Your car is ready and waiting." said Brass, "I even filled the tank and put air fresheners in it. "

"My that was nice of you." said Boss with mock politeness.

"Yeah well, I want my guy back alive. You get your car and I get my guy. We won't pursue or anything as long as we get Grissom back a I've and in one piece. Deal?" Boss was quiet before answering.

"I don't think so Captain Brass. Mr. Grissom wants to take a ride with us. I'll tell him you wish him luck and goodbye." He said. However Thunder, still holding the shotgun to Grissom's chest, didn't like this idea. He continued to interrogate Grissom about the location of his missing daughter. Now that he heard what Boss had said, he shifted his anger to his partner.

"Why do we have to take him? Why can't we just waste him here?" he said as he became more and more agitated.

"Look man," the Boss said that he wanted him alive. All we have to do is keep him alive until we get there." said Boss as he tried to defuse Thunder's anger. Thunder still didn't like this arrangement and started hitting Grissom with the shotgun.

"HE NEEDS TO PAY FOR WHAT HE'S DONE! TELL ME WHERE MY DAUGHTER IS!" Thunder yelled at the top of his lungs into Grissom's face.

"I DON'T KNOW! TELL ME WHO SHE IS!" Grissom shouted back.

"YOU KNOW WHO SHE IS! DON'T LIE!" he said as he hit Grissom in the face again, causing him to be thrown to the floor. Boss could see that the situation and Thunder's anger were getting worse with each moment. He laid the phone on the counter, forgetting about Brass on the other end, as he tried to calm his partner down.

"Look man if we get out of here, we'll take care of him!" Boss said a she tried to pull the large man away from Grissom. This didn't seem to satisfy Thunder. He went to hit Grissom again, but the other man grabbed the gun. There was a struggle and the gun went off. Boss fell to the floor, blood pouring out on to the tile from a gunshot wound to the chest..Grissom bent to help the man, but Thunder swiped a massive hand across Grissom's chest, sending him flying the other direction like a ragdoll. Grissom hit the wall and hit hard. Once his world stopped spinning he looked up to see the shotgun aimed at him.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter18

smokinhottie

Disclaimer: yeah you guessed it don't own any of them except the ones i made up! PLEASE!! REVIEW!! Thanks!!

Btw it anyone can help me figure out that Law and Order Ci story id greatly appreciate it!!

Everyone outside jumped at the sound of the shotgun. Brass tried to get an answer from the other end, but the phone was hung up. He looked at Nick and Warrick and said,

"Saddle up boys! We're going in there! Bargain or no bargain. I'm kicking me some ass." The three of them drew their weapons and began to make their way toward the building, leaving Sara and Catherine standing in shock.

"Guys!" Catherine said, stopping the three. "What about back up?" The three men came back to the girls.

"Catherine, Sara, please get back in the truck. Call around to the SWAT teams. Tell them that the cake hit the fan and the deal is off. We need help." Brass said. He walked away from the group a little as Warrick and Nick helped Catherine and Sara back into the truck. Suddenly, a shot rang out and Brass hit the ground. Nick and Warrick threw the girls down and covered them. Once the coast was clear, they ran to check on Brass.

"Brass! Are you ok?" Nick said as they reached Brass and turned him over. Warrick pulled back Brass's jacket and saw that the bullet hadn't penetrated the vest. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Catherine came and placed Brass's head in her lap.

"Are you ok Jim?" she said quietly. Brass groaned.

"Yeah other than feeling like I've been hit with a Mac truck, I'm ok. I really got to quit getting shot, this is really becoming quite old." he said as he tried to regain the ability to function.

"Good thing it didn't go through your vest." Sara said.

"Yeah," Brass said with a groan as he tried to sit up, "That's going to leave a mark." Everyone smiled at knowing he was going to be ok.

"Alright man. Let's get you checked out. I don't think you're going in." Warrick said as he tried to help Brass stand.

"What about Grissom?" Brass said as he tried to walk on his own.

"Warrick and I will go in..." Nick said but was interrupted by Brass .

"No way. I'm going with you." Brass said as he tried to walk, but his knees gave out.

"I don't think so man. We got this. Let just us go in and no SWAT." Nick said as they helped Brass to the ambulance.

"No way man you can't go in without SWAT." Brass said.

"If we go barging in there with SWAT, it's going to turn in to a blood bath with everyone shooting at everyone." Warrick said and Brass sighed with reservation as he thought about it.

"They have a point," said Greg, "If we can get a handle on what's going on in there, we can have an idea of where to send the SWAT teams." Brass sat a moment listening before letting out a sigh.

"Alright...go for it." he said, "But you have to go in SWAT gear and be extra careful." He looked at the two men standing in front of him like a father to his sons.

"Watch your back." he said and Nick and Warrick nodded before running ran off to meet with the SWAT team.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

smokinhottie

Disclaimer: Don't even own a finger of these guys!!

Thank you sooooo much for all of the reviews!! I need feedback!!

As soon as Nick and Warrick entered the coffee shop, they split up and made their way to the back. Warrick covered Nick once they were at the back of the store. He stood off to the side and Nick was half way down the hallway. They heard the man shouting at Grissom on the other side of the door way. Thankfully he was too busy to notice Nick and Warrick. Even though they had said no SWAT, they had a team ready and waiting in the storage room.Everything seemed to be going as planned until things took a terrible turn towards disaster. Before they could execute their attack, Nick and Warrick heard the blast from the shotgun.

"NOOO!" Nick shouted as he watched in horror as Grissom collapsed to the floor. Thunder then turned to fire again as Nick raised his gun to defend himself.

Suddenly another shot rang out and Nick fell back against the door frame, dropping his gun. He clutched his arm as blood ran freely down it and between his fingers. Warrick waited anxiously for a good shot. The man was still in the hallway and Warrick couldn't see him. Nick fought back the pain as he looked over at Grissom, who lay motionless on the floor. Thunder walked slowly down the hall to Nick and aimed at his head. Nick's heart almost stopped with fear as the man pressed the warm steel of a recently fired gun against his temple.

"You came at a bad time." Thunder said as he smacked Nick upside the head with the butt of the gun instead of shooting him. Nick fell to the floor and was quickly be coming unconscious. Blood was gushing from a large gash to his temple. Again the man aimed to shoot Nick in the head.

"That's what you get when you mess with me." Just at that moment, Warrick stepped from the shadows. He could finally get a shot and he aimed at the man's head.

"Now you're going to deal with me." h e said angrily. "Put the gun down. Now! So help me if you even breathe loud, I'll shoot you!"

"You wouldn't dare." said Thunder tauntingly.

"Don't tempt me." Warrick said as he clicked back the safety on his gun. "You better pray that these guys live. If they don't, there will be no place for you to hide. I will hunt you down!"

"Actually, Warrick Brown, it is your team that is being hunted down." The man said with a smile so cold and evil that it sent a shiver down Warrick's spine. Just after the man said this, Warrick felt a blow to the back of his knees and then his head. His gun went off ricocheting off the cabinets behind the register and he fell to the ground losing his weapon in the process. As Warrick lost consciousness, the other man stepped over him and shot him and Nick each in the chest. Warrick was out cold and the man joined the leader as they made their get away. Within minutes of the gunshots, the rest of the team rushed in.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

smokinhottie

Disclaimer: csi is not owned by me

Wow! I got quite a response after publishing that last chapter! Please be patient! I will post as soon as possible!! Please keep the reviews coming!!

Catherine, Sara, Greg, and Brass rushed in and began searching for the guys. They had no clue what to expect. All they had heard were multiple gunshots coming from inside. As they made their way through the coffee shop with SWAT, they found Warrick first laying on the floor unconsciouss. Sara knelt down beside him as he started to come around.

"Warrick! It's me Sara! Can you hear me?!" she shouted above the noise of the SWAT team. Warrick suddenly sat straight up and began to try to get up. However, the pain in his chest immediately made him sit back down.

"Where is Nick and Grissom!? They got shot!" Warrick said as he tried to clear his mind of the pain and focus.

"Whoa! Easy!You need to relax." Greg said "What happened?"

"I don't know," Warrick said as he finally got enough strength to stand. "We have to find Grissom and Nick. Both of them got shot." Greg nodded.

"Catherine and Brass went to go find them. Don't worry. We will find them." he said as he looked around for Catherine and Brass. Once Warrick was able to stand on his own, he and Sara went to find the rest of the gang while Greg went back out to the truck. They found Brass and Catherine nearby helping Nick to stand.

"Nick!" Sara cried as she ran to him. They met in an embrace. "Nick, honey you're bleeding. We have to get you a doctor." Nick shook his head as she surveyed his injuries.

"I'm fine. Just a little woozy that's all." He said as he wrapped an arm around Sara and tried to walk out of the store. But before he even took three steps, his legs gave way and he almost fell to the floor taking Sara with him. Fortunately, Warrick and Brass helped to catch him.

"Hey man. Take it easy. Ok? Just sit down here ok?" Warrick and Brass sat Nick down and leaned him against the wall. Nick closed his eyes and tried to fight the wave of nausea that was threatening to overtake him.

"I'm going to go and get the medics. I'll be right back." Brass said as he got up to leave.

"Thanks man." Warrick said as he stayed with his friends. Sara was near tears now as she tried to soothe Nick.

"It's ok Nick. Just relax ok." She said as she stroked his face and tried to stop the bleeding. Nick opened his eyes some and looked at her. Her hand felt cool and soothing to his cheek. He could feel the warm blood still running down his arm and the side of his face. He winced a little as Sara applied pressure to the wounds.

"I'm fine Sara..." he said as he tried to get up again "...I...just need to help find Grissom."

"Look man, Catherine and I will find Grissom. You stay here with Sara." Warrick said as he situated Nick again. "Sara, I'm going to leave you. Brass should be coming soon with the medics."

"Ok Warrick." Sara said and turned her attention to Nick. Warrick stood and went to find Catherine.

Please don't be upset! Another chapter is on its way!! While you wait, please pass the time by submitting a review!


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

smokinhottie

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the CSI characters. Scott the paramedic and Rodney Carlton the SWAT team member are both mine.

I know I freaked some people out with the last few chapters. Im sorry! Only advice I have for you is to just strap yourself in for a wild ride!

Catherine had rushed to the backroom where SWAT was examining the scene. There was a body on the floor with a sheet over it and her heart stopped when she thought of who it might be. Now she burst past the SWAT team to look at the body. One of the SWAT members and long time friend, Rodney Carlton, managed to stop Catherine before she reached the body.

"Catherine! Hang on a moment. I know you want to see who it is, but you can't destroy evidence." he said gently. "Wait and we will let you see...ok?" Catherine nodded slowly and Rodney wrapped an arm around her as he led her to where the body was. He nodded slightly and another SWAT member lifted the sheet covering the body. Catherine released the breath she had been holding and almost sank to her knees in relief if Rodney hadn't had a good grip on her.

"Thank God!" she said, relief washing over her as she looked at the face of the stranger on the floor, "It's not him!"

She was so relieved, but at the same time afraid. 'Where was he? If this is one of his captors, where was he?' Thoughts flew through her mind so quickly that her head felt like it was spinning. It took a moment to get herself straight. That's when she saw it. There on the white tile floor, further away from the body, was another pool of dark red blood. Catherine nearly died as she knelt near it.The smell of blood was heavy in the air and it was all she could do to keep from losing her stomach. It wasn't long before Warrick came and knelt beside her as Rodney rejoined his team.

"There's so much blood." she whispered as she continued to stare at the puddle. Warrick sighed and nodded.

"I know. Nick and I got to him as fast as we could. Obviously it wasn't enough." Catherine shook her head.

"No you guys did all you could. It's just...where is he now?" she said as she looked around.

"I don't know," Warrick said, "We were all unconscious." Catherine nodded as she scanned the room. It was then that she spotted a small trail of blood drops. She followed the trail of blood to the back door and that's when she saw it. If it hadn't been for years of being a blood analysis expert, she wouldn't have seen it. There on the under side of the door handle was part of a bloody handprint.

"Warrick!" She cried "The door! They went out the back door!" and with that she bolted back through the store, out the front door, and around to the back. Unfortunately, her efforts all appeared in vain, when she saw the empty parking lot.

"Damnit!" she cursed. She felt like crying with frustration. 'Pull yourself together Catherine, Grissom needs you.' she said to herself. She didn't truly expect to find the men parked out back with Grissom in the car waiting for her to show up. On the other hand, any obvious indication as to where they took him would have been greatly appreciated. She scanned the parking lot looking for clues as she raced the clock. That's when she saw it.

It lay shimmering in the moonlight near the embankment to a water run off for the parking lot. Catherine ran to pick it up. It was her gold cross and chain completely covered in blood. She clutched it in her hands and brought it to her chest.

'Why him? Where is he now?' she thought to herself as Warrick walked over to her.

"I've got people checking the print on the door. Nick had to go to the hospital and Sara went with him," Warrick said as he came to stand beside her, "What do you have there?" He said when he saw that she had some thing in her hand.

"A gold chain and cross..." she said, "my gold chain and cross."

"What sit doing out here?" he said with a frown.

"I gave it to Grissom before he went in...for good luck and protection...so much for that." She said sighing heavily.

"Hey now..." Warrick said as he gave her a hug "We will find him. OK? But you have to be strong for him. Understand?" Catherine nodded and they began searching for Grissom. It was now raining, making it even more urgent at finding him.

As time went by, Catherine became more and more anxious. Grissom had lost a large amount of blood in there. Who knew how much he had lost by now. Catherine thought as she walked along the run off. A flash of lightning had illuminated the embankment enough for Catherine to see the water at the bottom. That's when she saw him. He was laying face down at the bottom of the embankment with half of his body in the water.

"WARRICK!" she screamed, "I GOT HIM!" She easily slid down the wet and muddy embankment landing in waist deep muddy water. More water was pouring in thanks to the rain and the water from the parking lot. Warrick had called to Brass and the medics as he scrambled down the embankment after Catherine.

"GRISSOM!" she cried as thunder cracked over head. "TALK TO ME! GIL! COME ON! SPEAK TO ME!" She had rolled him over on to his back and immediately felt for a pulse. She became even more anxious when she found that she was having a hard time finding his. He was covered in mud and was soaking wet. Blood was everywhere as she placed her hands over his wounds and tried to apply pressure to stop the bleeding. Warrick was soon at her side.

"Catherine!" he shouted "We have to move him! The water is getting too high!" With the help of Catherine, Warrick and the paramedics, they managed to drag him up the embankment to the parking lot. A stretcher a waited them at the top of the hill along with a young paramedic. He was medium height with an athletic build. To Catherine, he looked so young with his baby face, that she wondered if he was old enough to know what he was doing.

"Mrs. Willows, My name is Scott and I'm a trained paramedic. I need you to please stand back a moment for me." With the help of an other paramedic, Scott managed to get Grissom on to the stretcher. They immediately began preparing him for transport. Catherine stood off to the side and watched them strap him to aboard and fit him with a neck brace. Warrick came to stand by her and wrapped an arm around her for comfort. After what seemed like forever to Catherine, the medics finally put Grissom in the waiting ambulance.

"Would you like to ride with him?" Scott asked Catherine. She looked at Brass as if to ask if they needed her.

"Jim...I..."She said as she tried to decide what to do.

"Don't worry Catherine. We've got everything under control. You go with him. He needs you right now." Brass said gently, knowing what she was thinking.

"Well be right behind you." Warrick said. Catherine hesitated a moment and looked at Brass again. When he nodded, she climbed in and asked what hospital they were going to.

"Desert Palms," Scott said as he continued to care for Grissom. "That's where they took the other guy." She nodded and looked at them one last time before shutting the doors. Brass and Warrick watched as the ambulance drove off into the cold, rainy night, with the sirens screaming and the lights flashing. Warrick shook his head as he watched the ambulance go.

"How's Hannah?" Warrick asked as they turned and began walking to the car.

"She's fine. Greg went with her to the hospital to get checked out." Brass said wearily as the nights events finally caught up with him. He looked at Warrick and put a hand to his shoulder.

"Come on let's go." he said as they reached the car and got in.


	22. Chapter 22

C h a p t e r 2 2

Chapter 22

Smokinhottie

Disclaimer: Don't own em

I know this is a short one, but I promise you will enjoy the next chapter!

Sara had been sittiing with Nick when the paramedics came. They told her that he needed to be taken to the hospital for treatment and she had insisted on going. From then on, everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. Sara felt numb as she rode to the hospital. It killed her as she watched Nick slip in and out of consciousness the entire ride. The wouds he had suffered were still bleeding terribly. Unfortunately, Sara couldn't do anything to help him but pray. She tried talking to him in an effort to keep him focused on something other than the pain. When they reached Desert Palms, Sara was forced to stay in the wait in groom while Nick was rushed in to the ER. That was the longest wait ever for Sara. Everything came to a grinding halt as she paced the tile floors of the waiting room. She decided to call Brass and find out what was happening.

"Brass," he said after a few rings.

"Hi Brass, it's Sara." she said

"Hey...How are you guys doing?" Brass said as he continued to drive.

"Nick is in the ER right now and I'm waiting." Sara said as she continued to pace the floor. "Any news on Grissom yet?"

"Yeah they found him and they're on their way to the ER right now. They just left a few moments ago. Warrick and I are coming too."

"I'm glad they found him. I'll be waiting here." she said tiredly

"Sara I need you to keep an eye out for anything sketchy."Brass said.

"Ok? Whats going on, Brass?" she said.

"Well...according to Warrick these guys aren't finished." Brass sighed.

"Ok, Brass. I've got several officers here. Nick and I are ok." She said and finished talking to Brass.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Smokinhottie

Disclaimer-Love to have them but can't. I do claim Scott!

Almost immediately upon beginning the drive to the hospital, Grissom began experiencing symptoms of shock. The smell of blood and mud was everywhere and it made Catherine's stomach turn. He was deathly pale and frozen as they tried to raise his body temperature. She watched him shiver from being wet and then begin to thrash about with convulsions as his body completely shut down.

"What's his full name?" Scott asked as he attempted to calm Grissom.

"Gilbert Grissom." Catherine said. She knew the drill and quickly answered all of his questions. Suddenly, alarms started going off and Grissom finally stopped moving. Catherine felt her heart sink to her stomach as a thin trail of blood crept from the corner of his mouth. To her horror, it got thicker and flowed more as time went on.

"He's crashing!" Scott yelled as he began taking off Grissom's vest. "He's not breathing! We have to get this thing off of him now!" Catherine thought that she was going to die. Once they had succeeded in removing his vest, they truly saw the extent of the damage. His shirt was completely soaked in blood and Catherine could clearly see the bullet holes that were scattered across his chest. As Scott tried with all his might to stop the bleeding, Grissom continued to crash. He wasn't breathing and by now had lost way too much blood. Catherine sat by his head and stroked it as she held his hand.

"Grissom...you have to live..."she whispered in his ear. "I know you can hear me...you're going to pull through...I know you will." More alarms sounded as his heart rate and blood pressure continued to fall at a dangerously fast rate.

"GRISSOM!" Catherine cried with tears running down her face." DON'T YOU DARE DIE ON ME! YOU CAN'T! YOU JUST CAN'T! GRISSOM PLEASE! DON'T DO THIS!" She pleaded as he still wouldn't respond. It was finally to the point where he was flatlining and Catherine sobbed as she cradled his head in her arms." She leaned down and whispered in his ear hoping that he would some how turn around and be ok.

"Grissom," she said as she stroked his face. She took off his oxygen mask and wiped away the mud before leaning down close to him.

"Don't leave me here. I don't want to be alone anymore...and I know that you don't want to be either. What about the team? They're like our kids? Please come back." Catherine saw Scott shake his head and sit back on the bench as Grissom continued to flatline. He reached up and cut off the machines as he looked at Catherine. He felt for her and wished he had been able to do more to save him.

"Time of death...1:30 am." he said softly.

"Grissom? " she whispered as she looked back at him. "If you can hear me, I have one last thing to say...I love you." she leaned down and tenderly kissed his lips. She then completely broke down and sobbed as she laid her head on the stretcher. She couldn't believe that he was dead. Her eyes burned as tears fell from them and she was sure she could feel her heart shattering into pieces. Suddenly she felt an uncontrollable anger and rage and she couldn't explain why. She became so emotionally distraught that she began beating his chest with her fists. She guessed it had something to do with him leaving her. She didn't know. She was such an emotional wreck all she could think to do was hit him.

After a few minutes of beating on him, he suddenly arched his back gasping for air as he tried to sit up on the stretcher. When his spasm was finished, he flopped back down on the stretcher and Catherine immediately stopped hitting him. She sat and listened for a few seconds. That's when she heard Grissom slowly take a deep breath in and exhale it back out. Her eyes almost popped out of her head in amazement. She immediately felt for a pulse and found one. It was weak but at least it was there.

"He's alive!" She said in amazement. "I've got a pulse!" Scott couldn't believe it, but when he turned the machines back on, he saw that she was right. Without another word, he went to work again on Grissom, putting a tube down his throat to allow him to breathe. Catherine me an while continued to talk to him.

"Grissom?" she said, "Grissom, I'm right here. Come back, please. Let me know if you can hear me." After a moment of waiting, she watched Grissoms hand lift off the stretcher ever so slightly and reach for hers. She took it and held it in both of her hands.

"Please Grissom come back. I love you." she said in his ear. It was then she felt Grissom give her hand a weak squeeze. Catherine smiled with relief as she kissed his forehead.

At that moment, they arrived at Desert Palms and Grissom was brought in to the ER. Catherine had wanted to stay with him longer, but he doctors and nurses told her that in order to keep him alive they had to get him up in to the OR. The faster they got the bullets out of him, the better his chances were at a full and complete recovery were. Catherine did watch through a little window as they stabilized him in the ER. He crashed once more but they were able to get him back by shocking him. It hurt her to watch him go through that kind of pain. Once they finally had him stabilized, they rushed him up to the OR and Catherine joined the others in the waiting room.


	24. Chapter 24

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

The Coffee Shop Murders

Smokinhottie

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the CSI characters or Disney. I do own Memee and Hannah. Please stay tuned for some suprise guest stars!! Also I'd like some suggestions on where you folks would like to see this story go!

Sara, Catherine, Warrick, and Brass all sat in the small private waiting room to the OR. Everyone's injuries had been checked out and other than some slight discomfort, were still in one piece. Hannah was also alright and it had been decided that she should stay over night for observation. Greg had volunteered to stay with her through the night. As the gang sat waiting for news on Nick and Grissom, Catherine stood at the viewing window and watched Grissom fight for his life. Not long after getting there, Brass received a call from Sophia back at the station. She had been told to try and contact Hannah's parents and in form them of her condition.

"There's only one problem, Brass. They killed her parents." She explained, "I called several times and finally went out to the house to see if they were there. We found both of them dead. It looks like the father died trying to keep the guys from entering the house. They killed him first and the wife ran. She ran to get Hannah and they caught her on the stairs. She never made it to the room." After getting a few more pieces of information, Brass hung up the phone and told everyone else what she had said. He also told them that he was going to go and check out the scenes of both crimes. Once he left, Catherine, Sara, and Warrick sat and waited for news. Exhausted they all fell a sleep. Sara had laid her head on Warrick's shoulder while Catherine lay next to him across 2 chairs. Meanwhile, Warrick had tilted his head back and rested it against the wall. Catherine and Warrick had changed into scrubs provided by the nurses and were no longer bloody, wet and muddy.

About 3:00 in the morning, a nurse came out in to the waiting room. Catherine had disappeared momentarily. Sara, who had been half-asleep, looked up at her. She was a sweet looking elderly woman, who reminded Sara of someone's grandmother. She couldn't help smiling at her scrubs that had Disney princesses all over them. The nurse regarded the t rio sympathetically and smiled.

"Are you Miss Sara Sidle?" she asked softly. Sara nodded as she tried to stand without waking Warrick.

"Yes Ma'am." she said, "I came in with the team from the Starbucks shootout. 2 severe gunshot victims and several others with minor injuries. We came..." Sara said. The elderly woman held up her hand.

"Sweetheart, it's alright. You don't have to be so formal with me. Just call me Memee. That's what my grandchildren call me." Sara nodded and smiled a little. She already liked this lady a lot.

"Now about your friends darling. Let's see..." She said as she flipped through the charts attached to her clipboard. You came in with a... Nicholas Stokes. Right?"

"Yes ma'am." Sara nodded, "How is he? He's going to be ok. Right?" Memee smiled. It was very apparent that these two shared something special.

"He's alright honey. The doctors took a look at him and patched him up. He's in a room now...Room 210, and he's resting up." Memee said as she checked her clip board again. Sara breathed a sigh of relief. Memee smiled as she hugged Sara.

"He'll be alright sweetie...especially if he has you looking after him." she said and Sara nodded.

"What about the other gun shot victim? Gil Grissom? Do you have any news regarding his condition yet?" she said with worry creeping back in to her thoughts.

"Let me look and well see. Just give me a second." she said as she again flipped through her charts.

"Gil Grissom right? Well at the moment he's still in surgery. They've got to stop most of the bleeding. They have to do that before they try anything else. It could take a while, but when I know anything I'll tell you. His doctor will come and speak with you when he's finished." Memee gently explained. Sara nodded as she stared at the floor. She was having a tough time taking all of this in. Memee saw this and put a hand to Sara's arm.

"He'll be just fine sweetie. He's tough, especially after what he did in the ambulance on the way here and in the ER. Tell you what, how would you like to see your friend, Nick? That would make you feel better right?" Sara nodded numbly.

"Can I tell my friend here?"

"Sure baby." Memee said as she stepped back. Sara knelt by Warrick and gently shook him.

"Warrick..." Warrick groaned a bit.

"Hmmm?"

"Warrick, wake up. It's me, Sara." she said as he opened his eyes.

"What time is it?" He said as he stretched some.

"Almost 3:30." She said gently and Warrick groaned again.

"Nick's in a room now and I'm going to see him. He's in Room 210. Grissom is still in surgery for awhile. Ok?" She said with a smile and Warrick nodded.

"I'll tell Catherine and also call Brass and let him know what's going on." He said and it was Sara's turn to nod.

"Ok see you later Warrick and thanks for everything." she said as she lightly kissed his cheek.

"No problem. You take care of Nick and keep him out of trouble. Sara smiled and nodded before following Memee. She led Sara down a few hallways before reaching Nick's room. When they opened the door, Sara nearly cried. There was Nick, all black and blue. He had bandages on his head and arm and was sleeping.

"You can stay as long as you'd like. I'll come and let you know if anything changes with Mr. Grissom." Memee said and Sara nodded.

"Thank you ma'am. I appreciate it." she said.

"You're welcome honey, you just take care of yourself and the handsome young man that's now awake." Memee said with a smile. Sara turned to see Nick awake and smiling weakly at them.

"I thought you were talking about me. Who else could it be?" he said jokingly. Both women smiled and Memee gave Sara a hug of reassurance.

"You take care darling. Let me know if you need anything. I'll be back to check on you in a few." she said gently.

"Thanks Memee." Sara said as the women walked out and closed the door behind her. She then turned and faced Nick. Tears were forming in her eyes as she attempted not to cry in front of Nick. She knew she had to be strong for his sake. Sara walked over to Nick and sat down on the side of the bed.

"How are you feeling?" she said as Nick attempted to sit up. Sara saw that it was painful for him to do so and pushed the button to raise the bed.

"Thanks," said Nick, "I'm feeling ok...a little tired. A whole lot better than I was before." He said and Sara nodded.

"You want to go to sleep? I'll stay right here with you." she said as she lowered the bed again. Nick slowly rolled on to his side with the help of Sara. Now he was facing her as she sat in the chair by his bed.

"You ok Sara?" he said quietly. She offered a tired smile.

"Yeah...I guess so..." she said in almost a whisper.

"I want you to know...that I'm so grateful that you were safe. Thank you Sara." h e said.

"For what Nicky?" she said with confusion.

"For being such a wonderful friend and support system...and for staying in the truck."

"Nicky..." she said, unsure as to how to put into words what she wanted to say. "I was so scared. I wanted to jump out of that truck so many times...but I knew that if I did, I would cause more harm than good. So...I sat in that truck and prayed. I prayed so hard Nicky that God would keep you safe." she said as her voice began to crack with emotion. Nick smiled gently and reached for her hand. 'How could he not love this woman?'

"You did wonderfully. You are amazing." Nick said as he tenderly kissed her lips, "I love you Sara."

"I love you too Nicky." Both smiled at each other before Sara stood and came to sit on the bed.

"What do you say you get some sleep?" She said as she tucked him in and made sure he was comfortable with regards to his injuries. Once he was settled, she remained sitting on the bed and began gently rubbing his back.

"Is Catherine, Brass and everyone alright?" he said after a moment of silence.

"Brass and Warrick got checked up and were released." she said as she took a deep breath, "Catherine is fine despite the fact that Grissom is at death's door.

"How's Grissom doing?" he said as he shifted slightly to look at her.

"They have him in surgery now. He'll be in there for about another 4 to 5 hours. Once out he'll probably go to the ICU and be put in a room. Don't worry Nick. All everyone wants is for you and Grissom to get better." she said gently and Nick nodded slightly.

"How's Catherine taking all of this? I'm sure this can't be easy for her." Nick said softly.

"Well, she's most likely passed out in the waiting room from sheer exhaustion. You should have seen her, Nick. She was so...completely lost. Grissom died twice on the table but was revived thank God. It's tearing her apart." Sara said as she thought about her friend in the waiting room.

"Well...she's got nothing but support behind her." he said as he gently took her hand in his.

"Can you imagine Nick? I couldn't live if something like that happened to you." she said as she turned her face away from him. Nick gently tugged at her hand until she turned back to look at him.

"I feel the same...and I hope that no harm ever comes to you. But you don't...have...to worry Sara..." he said as he slowly began to drift off to sleep. Sara had to smile at his futile attempts to stay awake.

"It's ok Nicky...just rest. We can talk tomorrow." she said as he finally fell asleep. She got up from the bed and sat in the chair. Once she was curled up in it and as close to Nick as possible, she watched him sleep for a few moments before she too drifted off in to sleep.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Memee poked her head in a little while later on her way back to the nurses station from doing her rounds. She couldn't help smiling at the sweet sight before her. Even though Sara was in a chair by the bed and Nick was actually in the bed, both were trying to get as close to get her as possible. Memee went to the closet and quietly got 2 blankets. One she used to drape over Sara, while the other she carried with her out of the room as she shut the door behind her.


	25. Chapter 25

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

Smokinhottie

Disclaimer: I don't own any CSI characters. I do claim Shelia Hallman aka Memee. For those who are wondering she is a real person in my life.

Chapter 25

Catherine stood watching at the OR viewing window. Grissom had been in surgery for about 3 hours and still wasn't out yet. She sighed as she rubbed her neck. She was emotionally exhausted from the events of the past few hours and still felt numb and confused. Everything felt like a dream. She was in complete shock, and unable to fully take in all that had happened. At that moment, Memee walked into the waiting room and over to Catherine.

"Mrs. Willows?" She said softly. Catherine, caught off guard, jumped slightly.

"Yes ma'am?" she said uncertainly.

"My name is Shelia Hallman, but you can call me Memee. I came earlier and took your friend Sara to see Nick. I've come to bring you an update on your friends." she said as she shook Catherine's hand and handed her a coffee cup.

"It's hot chocolate. You looked like you could use some." Memee said gently.

"Yes, thank you. I think..." Catherine said as she took the cup and sipped the warm drink.

"My dear, we didn't get a chance to meet yet. You weren't here when I came and got Sara." she said and Catherine nodded.

"Yes...I was making a quick phone call. But never mind that, you said that you had and update on my friends?" Catherine said.

"Yes...as to Nick, he suffered a concussion to his temple and forehead. He also has a gunshot wound to his upper left arm and his chest has a large bruise caused by the gunshot to his chest. The one to his arm wasn't as bad as it could have been. The bullet grazed the arm just deep enough to cause heavy bleeding. He is stable, bandaged, and resting in his room. You understand?" she said gently and Catherine nodded.

"Yes ma'am...and Gil Grissom?" she said almost hesitant to hear the answer.

"Unfortunately his condition is much more complicated than Nick's. The surge on who operated on him will be able to give you more detailed diagnosis than I will. He can speak with you and answer all of your questions once he's finished. But for now I can only tell you how far they've come." she said.

"I'd appreciate any information you have." Catherine said anxiously.

"Well my dear, Mr. Grissom is currently in the OR undergoing surgery. They have removed about half of the bullets and repaired the damage. They also have all of the bleeding either stopped or under control, which boosts his chances of recovery. They had to gain control of that before they were able to do anything else. Now, do you know what type of gun he was shot with?" she asked.

"I'm not sure. None of us were in the room when he was shot. Nick may have seen the gun but I honestly don't know." she said as she shook her head and Memee nodded.

"All I can tell you is that whatever it was caused a lot of damage. He is somewhat stable at this point. Is it true that he suffered plenty of external injuries as well?" she said softly and Catherine nodded.

"Yes...um when I found him...he was pretty beat up...and there was a lot of blood." she said as she bit her lip to control her emotions.

"Well dear, he's going to be in surgery until the morning. The doctor will be able to speak with you then. Is there anything I can get for you while you wait?" she said gently. Catherine sighed and thought a moment before shaking her head.

"No thank you. You've been really helpful and I appreciate it. Thank you also for the hot chocolate." she said and Memee smiled.

"It's not a problem honey, if you change your mind and need anything, I'll be over at the nurses station. There's 2 blankets by your friend over there if you need them. I'll be by to check on you every once in awhile." she said as she smiled and left Catherine. Warrick was still a sleep and after having that hot chocolate she too was feeling sleepy. She got a blanket and tried to get as comfortable as possible as she sat in one of the chairs. As she slowly drifted off to sleep, she glanced one last time at the viewing window, and said a prayer for the man on the other side before she let sleep overtake her.


	26. Chapter 26

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

The Coffee Shop Murders

Smokinhottie

Disclaimer: You guys know the drill ;P Also don't own Hardees

Chapter 26

Nick awoke the next morning to find Sara was no longer in the room. He smiled at the thought of her and having her with him. It was a nice feeling. Just at that moment, the door opened and Sara poked her head in.

"Morning sleepy head! How are you feeling?" She said as she came in carrying a few bags.

"Ok...a lot better than last night." he said as he slowly sat up. Sara had put the big duffel bags down and brought the small Hardees bag over to the bed with the bed tray. Nick leaned over and sweetly kissed her lips.

"Did you sleep alright last night? I know the chair probably wasn't the most comfortable thing to sleep in." he said. Sara simply smiled as she sat down on the bed and brought out breakfast.

"I'm fine. I slept just fine, especially knowing that you were safe." she said softly and Nick smiled before kissing her again.

"So...what are we having for breakfast?" he said as he surveyed the tray.

"Brass stopped by this morning and brought everyone coffee, biscuits, and a change of clothes. He knew you wouldn't even think of eating hospital food." she said with a smile as she and Nick began eating their breakfast.

"Thank you Brass. He's right, they already tried to feed me that crap the last time I was here." Nick said as he took a sip of coffee. "Have you talked to Catherine?" Sara shook her head.

"No, but Brass did. He said that she was about to talk to Grissom's doctor. They just finished up with him and moved him to a room."

"You want to swing by there as soon as I'm signed out?" Nick asked.

"Sure...you feel up to it?" she said and he nodded.

"I think I'll be alright. How's Warrick? Did you get a chance to talk to him?" he said.

"No, but Brass told me that Warrick's wife came and got him when her shift was done. She took him home to rest." she said. At that moment, the door opened and Memee walked in the room. Upon seeing what Nick was eating, she folded her arms across her chest and gave him a stern look.

"Young man! That doesn't look like hospital food to me. Are you supposed to have that?" she said fighting back a smile. Nick paused mid-bite and looked at Memee uncertainly. Sara couldn't help but laugh at the expression on Nick's face.

"Would you change your mind if you knew there was one for you too?" Sara said as she pulled a biscuit out of the bag. Memee just laughed.

"Well thank you dear. I believe that would be alright. A biscuit is exactly what I need." she said as she took the biscuit from Sara.

"Now...I came to tell you Mr. Stokes that you are being released this morning. Your tests came back and everything seems to be alright. However, you are only allowed to leave on one condition..." she explained to Nick.

"Yes ma'am...what condition would that be?" he said uncertainly.

"You need someone to take you home and look after you. You are not allowed to do anything strenuous for at least a week. That means absolutely no work what so ever! You can't be over doing it or you'll end up back here. After a week, you will come back here and have those stitches removed. Now...do you have a roommate or someone who can look after you?" Memee said as she gently explained everything. Nick shook his head.

"No ma'am, I live alone, but I can take care of myself." he said but Memee shook her head.

"No sir, I'm afraid I'm not allowed to let you out of here. I must have someone sign you out in to their care. They have to promise that you will be looked after."

"I'll sign for him," said Sara, "I promise that I will look after him during his recovery. If you could show me what all I need to do for him, we should be all set."

"Sara, you don't have to do this." Nick said, "I don't want to be a burden."

"I promise Nick," she said as she held up her hand. "It's ok. I really don't mind at all. I want to do this."

"Then it's settled. Memee said to Sara as she began taking the IV and heart monitor off of Nick. If you'll come with me dear, I'll get the paperwork for you. If you can try and get dressed young man, we'll be right back." Nick nodded and Memee went out the door. Sara kissed him one last time before getting up off the bed and following Memee. As she got up from the bed, Nick stopped her by taking her hand."Sara...are you sure that you want to do this? You don't have to." he said quietly. Sara came and sat back down on the bed.

"Nick, it's fine. I promise. Now hurry and get dressed so we can go see Grissom and Catherine." she said as she got up again and headed to the door. Nick smiled and slowly got up to get dressed.


	27. Chapter 27

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

The Coffee Shop Murders

Smokinhottie

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. Nor do I own the surprise guest.

Chapter 27

Brass came in to the OR waiting room the next morning and found Catherine curled up in one of the chairs fast asleep. He sighed as he set his things down and gently put a hand to her shoulder.

"Catherine?" he whispered as he gently shook her. She slowly opened her eyes and looked at him.

"Hey Jim..." she said quietly as she turned and looked at him. Brass couldn't help, but feel her pain. It was so evident by the look on her face. He knew that even though she hadn't been hurt physically, she had enough mental and emotional pain to tear anyone apart.

"Hey, I brought you some food and clothes." he said as he knelt down in front of her. She nodded slightly.

"What time is it?" she said as she stretched a little.

"About 8:00. Listen I brought you some coffee and a biscuit. You need to eat something, you're running on empty." he said as he handed her the coffee. Catherine took it and sipped some of the warm liquid allowing the warmth to seep in to her hands.

"How long you been asleep?" he asked gently.

"About 3 hours and then I fell asleep again after Warrick left." she said with a yawn.

"Is Warrick ok?" Brass asked as he handed her the biscuit.

"Yes. His wife took him home about an 2 hours ago. He's going to rest for a day or two." She said and Brass nodded as he took a seat beside her.

"I saw Sara this morning and she told me that Nick was probably getting released today. They were just waiting on the ok from the doctor before coming to see you and Grissom." he said gently and Catherine nodded.

"The doctors are settling him into a room as we speak. They were going to let me know how he's doing when they got finished." she said tiredly and Brass could tell that she was worried.

"Do you want me to stay with you? That way you don't have to do this all on your own." he said softly as he put a hand to her shoulder. Catherine smiled with tears threatening to form in her eyes.

"Thanks Jim. I'd like some emotional support right now." she said. Just at that moment, the doctor approached them.

"Mrs. Willows?" he said and both Catherine and Brass stood.

"Yes sir, I'm Catherine Willows." she said as she extended her hand to the doctor. He was tall and lean with a slightly balding head.

"I'm Doctor Mark Green," he said as he shook her hand and Brass's. I'm the man who operated on Mr. Grissom. Are you his family? His scrubs were blue with dark red blood stains all over them, and Catherine had to force herself to look at his face instead of the scrubs to keep from getting sick. That was Grissom's blood all over him." she thought and paused a moment as she fought the wave of emotions that she felt. Brass saw what she was looking at and took her hand before he answered.

"Yes sir. This is his fiance and I'm pretty much his brother." Catherine was stunned at Brass's answer but nodded her head in agreement.

"Well you both are listed on his medical statement as having power of attorney for him in case of medical emergency." Doctor Green said. Catherine was shocked as she looked at Brass. She had no idea that Grissom had done that. "Anyway, I'd like to discuss Mr. Grissom's condition with you. Do you happen to know what he was shot with?"

"A 12 gauge shotgun with a buck shot." Brass said grimly, "It was recovered near the scene of the incident." Doctor Green nodded.

"We figured as much. This poor man had alot of damage done to him. Am I correct to say that he was severely beaten before he was shot? Doctor Green continued and Brass nodded.

"We have reason to believe that the man that shot him also gave him a beat down too." Brass explained.

"Well sir Mr. Grissom was in very bad shape when he came to us. He suffered a black eye, several cuts and bruises around the face and chest area, 3 broken ribs, as well as being shot. Someone worked him over pretty well." Doctor Green said as he paused in his diagnosis to allow the information to sink in. Catherine felt her heart break to know how much pain Grissom had to be in at the time of his attack. She was very close to crying at that moment and Brass must have known because he wrapped an arm around her for comfort.

"Doctor...how much damage did the gunshot wound cause?" Catherine said in shock as she tried to understand all the information that the doctor was telling her.

"Mrs. Willows, your fiance is a lucky man. It is nothing short of a miracle that he is alive right now. It was a very difficult operation. We had to remove many of the pellets from the buckshot before we could do anything. Most of them weren't extremely dangerous. He suffered a collapsed lung from a fall that cause done of the broken ribs to puncture the left lung.

"Did the operation go well?" Brass asked and Dr. Green sighed slightly.

"It was a long surgery, but we got everything out. He lost his spleen, but he'll be just fine with out it. One bullet did come dangerously close to his spine. We were able to remove it, however there maybe some swelling in that area. We wont be able to tell until he is awake how much damage was done to him. Any questions?" he said. Catherine frowned slightly before nodding.

"Yes Dr. Green...Gil was wearing a bullet proof vest when he was shot. Didn't that help at all?" she said and Dr. Green nodded.

"Most of the pellets were trapped in his vest. However, about 5 came through and pierced the skin. We removed them and placed them in an evidence bag. Here you go." he said as he handed Brass a small plastic bag. Inside were the 5 bloody pellets.

"Mrs. Willows," Dr. Green said as he continued with his diagnosis. "Because of you hitting him in the ambulance, it restarted his heart. It's what we call a cardiac thump. That's what brought him back. However, due to the heavy blood loss and lack of oxygen, he is in a coma."

"A coma?" Catherine said in shock "I don't understand..."

"Mrs. Willows, it is a drug induced coma. It is imperative that he doesn't strain himself during the recovery process. We sedated him to allow him to repair and rest comfortably." Dr. Green explained.

"So...is he going to be ok? I mean...how long is he going to be like that? When will we be able to talk to him?" Brass said as he tried to grasp what the doctor was saying. Dr. Green nodded patiently.

"Right now its like he's asleep. He can hear you just not respond. He can be taken off the medication and brought out of it as soon as he can breath on his own. A machine is doing it for him now. Do you understand so far?" Catherine and Brass both nodded silently.

"I know it's a lot to handle right now, but I promise you we are doing everything we can to help him recover. I'll let you have some time to talk and if you have any questions I'll be here for a few more hours. Feel free to ask me. As of now he is stitched, bandaged, and resting in room 321 of the ICU. You're free to visit him now if you'd like." he said and Catherine's eyes lit up.

"May we?" she asked uncertainly.

"Yes ma'am you may. It's down that hall and to your right. he said. Catherine nodded and thanked the doctor as she and Brass each shook his hand.

"You want to see him?" Brass said once the doctor was gone. Catherine nodded and they both got their bags and headed for his room.

--

'Catherine?' Grissom said with confusion. He saw her crying outside the Starbucks coffee shop. He somehow knew that he was supposed to be going in soon and that she was upset over it. This whole scene seemed very familiar to him, but he couldn't explain why. He tried to go to her but found that he was frozen. Then as if he was having an out of body experience, he watched himself go to her. It was like watching a movie about himself. He saw that he was comforting her...holding her...telling her that it was going to be alright. He then watched as the image of him walked her or the truck. Suddenly the scene shifted and he was standing near the truck out of sight. He saw himself put her in the truck and walk towards Brass, who was standing near the Starbucks building. Just a she felt like he was beginning to make sense of the scenes taking place in front of him, everything began to get fuzzy. Soon he slipped in to the darkness and saw nothing.

Author's Note: Yes! Yes... for all you ER fans, this is the same Dr. Green. He was one of my favorites and I wasn't happy with the fact that he died on the show. So I decided to bring him back to life! Instead of dying he just decided to move to Las Vegas and become a surgeon.


	28. Chapter 28

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

The Coffee Shop Murders

Smokinhottie

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone except...Hannah, Kimberly Wright, and Memee.

Chapter 28

Brass and Catherine walked down the halls until they came to Grissom's room. They paused a moment before going in and Brass turned to Catherine.

"Catherine...do you want to go in alone? Will you be ok?" Brass said quietly and Catherine shook her head.

"I think I can handle this, but I shouldn't be the only one to see him." she said. Brass shook his head.

"No...you deserve to see him first. I'll wait to see him when Nick and Sara get here. Go on...go see him." Brass said. Catherine smiled and gave him a hug before carefully opening the door and walking in.

After she shut the door behind her, she was greeted by the sounds of the machines. She had seen people in the hospital before, but this was different. This wasn't just another victim in a case she was working. This was Grissom, the love of her life, lying in that bed. She fought back the tears as she looked at him. Tape scattered his face and large purple bruises were setting in. A tube ran into his mouth and down his throat helping him to breathe. Blood and IV transfusions were in his arms as well as a bag that Catherine was sure contained pain medication and the sedative. As she slowly walked toward the bed, she could see the rest of his injuries. His entire bare chest and abdomen were wrapped in bandages and she fought to keep her emotions in check. Catherine gently sat on the bed beside him and took his hand. She looked at him for a moment before leaning over and kissing his bandaged forehead. He was deathly pale and cold to the touch as she held his hand in both of hers. She wished that she could some how pour the life back in to him. She wanted so badly for him to open his bright blue eyes, sit up, and take her in his arms. She wanted him to tell her that he would be all right, but she knew that it wouldn't happen anytime soon.

"Gil?...It's me Catherine." she whispered, "I know you can hear me...I just want you to know that I love you and that I'm here." She sighed as she watched him lay there. Just at that moment, the door opened and Brass poked his head in.

"Hey," he said softly, "Look who I found." He opened the door wider and Sara and Nick walked in.

"Hi Catherine," Sara said as she gave her a hug, "Are you all right?"

"I'm ok, Sara." Catherine said as she hugged both Nick and Sara. "What about you? How are you feeling Nick?" Nick shrugged slightly.

"I'll be fine. I'm more concerned about Grissom." He said as he looked at his father-figure laying in the bed. "How's he doing?"

"Well, he just got out of surgery about 45 minutes ago." she said with a heavy sigh, "Brass and I spoke with his doctor and he said that he's going to be fine. They got all of the pellets out and managed to stop all of the bleeding. Most of the damage has been repaired, but we have to wait until he's awake to see how much damage is still left. Right now he is in a coma."

"A coma!?" Sara said in shock. "Why?"

"He has lost so much blood and experienced so much trauma to his body that he has been put in a drug-induced coma by the doctors. That means that they've given him something to put him in a coma like state. It's meant to allow him to relax and regain his strength in order to get better. He's in a sleep like state. He can hear us, just not speak or open his eyes." Brass explained.

"How long is he going to be like this?" Nick said as he and Sara went to Grissom's bedside. Sara sat down by Grissom's left side and Nick stood behind her. Catherine shook her head.

"We're not sure. The doctor said that once he can breathe on his own, they can bring him out of the coma." she said.

At that moment, a young woman opened the door and poked her head in.

"Is this the room where Gil Grissom is? Is Catherine Willows in here?" she said softly. She was tall and slender, dressed in a business suit, with beautiful auburn hair that was pulled back in a low ponytail.

"Yes...I'm Catherine Willows. Can I help you?" she said uncertainly.

"My name is Kimberly Wright and I'm with the Clark County Department of Social Services. I'm sorry to intrude, but I'm here to speak to someone about the arrangements for Hannah DeMingo." she explained

"Is she alright? She's not hurt is she?" Sara said anxiously.

"No ma'am, I apologize. I was referring to her arrangements to have her placed in someones custody." she said, as the door opened and Greg entered with little Hannah.

"Hi Hannah!" Sara said and Hannah smiled as she ran to her arms.

"Hi Greg." Catherine said softly. Greg had spent the night with Hannah to keep her company. He quietly asked Brass about Grissom's condition before he left to go to the lab.

"We need to discuss who will be taking Hannah in to custody. Unfortunately, she has no other relatives and we have nowhere to place her in our system. We need someone to be her temporary guardian." Kimberly explained once Greg had left. Sara nodded before picking Hannah up and setting her in her lap.

"Hannah, how would you like to come with me? You could stay with me at my house." Sara said gently and Hannah looked at the floor.

"My Mommy and Daddy are in heaven aren't they?" she said solemnly and Sara sighed slightly as she looked at Nick.

"Yes sweetie, they are, but you know what? They are ok. They will always be watching over you." Nick carefully explained.

"Just like Jesus and all the angels?" Hannah said with a small smile as she looked at everyone.

"Yes sweetheart...Just like Jesus and all the angels...and you know what? I bet they are already friends and having a good time." Catherine said gently and Hannah nodded.

"Miss Sara? Can I stay with you please?" Hannah said softly "I don't want to be all by myself.

"Of course you can." Sara said with a smile. "You will never be alone Hannah." Hannah smiled and wrapped her arms around Sara's neck.

"Good then it's all settled." said Kimberly with a smile, "You will need to fill out some paperwork. I'll be waiting at the nurses station. Take your time visiting." She walked out the door, leaving the team in silence.

"Mrs. Willows...what's wrong with Mr. Grissom?" Hannah said as she looked at Grissom. Catherine sighed and looked at Brass, unsure of what to say.

"He's not feeling good, Hannah. He's in the hospital to feel better. Just like you were." Brass explained and Hannah nodded. She carefully climbed down off Sara's lap and walked around to other side of the bed.

"Is he sleeping?" she said quietly, as she studied Grissom's face.

"He is, but you can talk to him. He can hear you." Nick said and Hannah nodded again. She sat there a moment thinking before saying anything.

"Mr. Grissom? Mr. Nick says you can hear me...I hope you can...I wanted to say thank you for coming to get me...I'm sorry you aren't feeling good. Get better soon! Oh and guess what? I get to stay with Miss Sara!" she said. Everyone smiled as they watched little Hannah.

"I hope you get better soon!" she said as she tried to get up on the bed, but was too short. Brass picked her up and brought her closer to Grissom. Hannah placed a small kiss on his cheek and Brass set her back down.

"Thank you." she said to Brass, who nodded. Hannah stood there a moment more before she began to rub her eyes.

"Miss Sara," she said with a yawn, "Can we go to sleep?"

"Sure Hannah, let's go home. Nick, are you ready?" Sara said with a small smile. Nick nodded and Sara picked up Hannah.

"Bye Catherine, Brass. You'll call us if he wakes up right?" Sara said as they headed towards the door.

"We will. You guys take it easy." Brass said. Sara, Nick, and Hannah all said good-bye and headed to the nurses station. Brass meanwhile sank into the chair by the bed.

"You should do home and get some sleep. I'll stay here with him. I promise that I'll call if anything happens." Brass said and Catherine wearily nodded.

"Come on," he said as he stood, "I'll take you home." Catherine numbly stood and kissed Grissom on the forehead again, before allowing Brass to lead her out.


	29. Chapter 29

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

The Coffee Shop Murders

Smokinhottie

Disclaimer: Still own Hannah! She's too cute to not keep! Thanks for the reviews!

Chapter 29

Grissom could feel his heart pounding in his ears as he rounded the corner to the hallway. He could see a light on in the breakroom. 'Why was he there?' He couldn't remember. He just knew that he had to be quiet as he carefully went down the hall and peaked in to the room. Thats when he saw her. She was scared and Grissom knew he had to help her.

Suddenly, he was running with the little girl in his arms. He knew that he had to find away together out to safety. As he ran to the door, a blinding pain sent him to his knees and into darkness.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Here we are." said Sara softly as she walked through the front door of her townhouse. Hannah had fallen asleep while they had been filling out paperwork and had slept the entire car ride home.

"Nick, I'm going to put her to bed. Just relax on the couch. I'll be right back." she whispered and Nick nodded as he sat down on the couch. Sara meanwhile carried the little girl upstairs to the guestroom and laid her down in the bed. As she was tucking her in, Hannah woke up a little.

"It's ok honey...go back to sleep." Sara said as she placed a kiss on the little girl's head.

"...ok mommy..." said Hannah sleepily. Sara was in complete shock as she finished tucking the girl in. She made her way down to the living room and collapsed on the couch next to Nick. He gently pulled her to him and kissed her forehead.

"You ok?" he said softly. "You look a little worried. What's wrong?"

"I'm fine." She said as she shook her head. "Just tired. Don't worry about me. We need to take care of you. Come on let's go lay down for a nap Mr. Stokes." she said as she got up and helped him off the couch.

"Sara, you should sleep some too." he said as he took her hand.

"I will I promise." She said as she tried to lead him up the stairs to bed.

"Where are you going to sleep? I mean...are you ok with sharing a bed?" said Nick. He didn't want to rush things and ruin their relationship. Sara shook her head.

"I promise you. I'm ok...are you ok with this? We don't have to. I can sleep on the couch." she said and Nick couldn't help but smile.

"Are you kidding!? I'm never letting you out of these arms again!" he said as he gently pulled her to him and kissed her. Sara could feel herself blush. She wasn't used to receiving this much affection.

"Ok lover boy. Let's get you to bed." she said as they made their way upstairs and into Sara's bedroom. Once they had each, changed and freashened up, they crawled into bed and snuggled together. Both lay there, simply enjoying the comfort of each other.

"You are really great with Hannah." Nick said softly and Sara smiled.

"You aren't so bad either. she said as she carefully laid her head on his chest. Nick chuckled at this.

"We make a pretty good team don't we?" he said and Sara sighed.

"I just hope were enough. I mean after all this little girl has been through, Nick, I wonder...If we can ever make all that pain go away." she said softly as she looked up at him. Nick kissed the top of her head.

"Don't worry babe. We can do this. I promise to do all I can to make sure that both of you are safe and happy." he said softly.

"Nick..." Sara said but he gently hushed her.

"I mean it Sara. I hope you know that I love you and that I will always do my best to take care of you and now Hannah." he said and Sara could see that he was sincere.

"I know Nicky..." she said. She still had her doubts but she decided not to press the matter further.

"You don't worry about a thing and get some sleep sweetheart." Nick said and Sara nodded as she slowly drifted off to sleep. Nick remained awake for alittle while longer and watched Sara sleep. He gently brushed a piece of hair away from her eyes and sighed. 'God he loved her so much.'

This near-death experience of being shot made him quickly realize that life was very precious. Life was too short to waste. He had almost missed the chance to be with her. He shuddered at the thought as he wrapped his arms slightly tighter around her and kissed her temple. He then closed his eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep.


	30. Chapter 30

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

Smokinhottie

Disclaimer: Nope don't own them.

Chapter 30

"NO!" screamed Catherine as she sat straight up in bed. She had finally been dragged from the hospital by Brass about 6 hours ago. Now she was trying to get some sleep before returning to the hospital later that night. She had been having another nightmare about Grissom. She took a deep breath as she sat on the side of her bed. She knew that as much as she needed sleep that it just wasn't going to happen. Everytime she tried flashes of Grissom in the ambulance came back to her. She couldn't close her eyes without automatically seeing the blood. She got up and checked the answering machine for messages from the hospital. She breathed a sigh of relief when there weren't any. 'He's alive and safe.' she said to herself for the billionth time in the last 24 hours. Lindsay was due home from school in the next 30 minutes and knowing that she wasn't going back to sleep, Catherine decided to go ahead and get ready to go back to the hospital. Catherine had just finished drying her hair and getting dressed after her shower when she heard the front door open and slam shut.

"Mom!" Lindsay yelled as she raced through the house. "Mom! Where are you!?"

"Lindsay sweetie, I'm right here. Catherine said as she stepped out in to the living room.

"Are you ok?" Lindsay said as she launched herself into her mother's arms. "I heard once I got to school! I thought you were hurt!"

"It's ok sweetie. I'm fine." Catherine said as she held her daughter close.

"Mom! Is it true?" Lindsay said when she looked up at her mother. "Is it true what they said on the news about Uncle Gil?" Lindsay was close to tears now as Catherine took her hand and sat her down on the couch.

"Honey, calm down. Your Uncle Gil is ok. He's in the hospital." Catherine said as she attempted to calm her daughter's anxiety.

"It was on the radio on the way home and everyone at school was talking about it to day!" Lindsay sobbed, "They were saying that he was dead and so was Nick and Warrick!" Catherine drew her daughter in to her arms and hugged her tight.

"Lindsay, it's ok." she said as she tried to keep her own tears from falling. "Uncle Gil isn't dead and neither are Nick or Warrick. Let's calm down and I'll tell you what happened. Lindsay slowly gained control of herself as she listened to her mother explain the events of the last 24 hours.

"So, everyone is ok. They just need a little time to recuperate." she said as she finished summing everything up.

"What about Uncle Gil?" Lindsay said with a sniffle and Catherine took a deep breath. She had done her best to shield her daughter from the harsh reality of Grissom's condition.

"Sweetheart...he's in the hospital in the ICU. He's trying to wake up from a coma the doctors put him in. They gave him medicines to sedate him and allow him to recover easier. Catherine gently explained. Lindsay nodded as she tried to process all of the information she was being given.

"Could we go see him mom? Please?" She said softly after a moment. Catherine smiled at her daughter. Grissom had always been a father to her and she thought the world of him too. He was pretty much her adopted father.

"Ok Linds...we can go see him. Come on." she said as she took her daughter's hand and walked out the door.


	31. Chapter 31

Authors Note:

Ok ladies and gents I want to start off by apologizing for keeping you waiting for so long. A lot has happened lately and I have been really busy. My fiancé and I were in a car accident not too long ago. We are fine now but we had to deal with the insurance company and getting my car fixed etc. It wasn't our fault someone ran into the back of us when we were stopped and pushed us into another car.

Not only that I work in the retail business and its crazy this time of year! On top of this my muse went away for the holidays!!!! I haven't been able to come up with anything!!!

So I'm asking for your help!! Please send me an idea on where I can go with this story! Once I get ten I promise to start writing again! Thank you to all who have been there since my first story! I deeply appreciate it and respect you!

Thanks again! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Smokinhottie


	32. Chapter 32

Hello to all! Just wanted to let you know to keep an eye out for me! I've taken a hiatus from writing and now I'm back with a vengeance! I plan on adding new chapters to what this story and the others that I have. I also plan to publish a few that I've been working on! Thank you for being patient! Hope you will enjoy!


	33. Chapter 33

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

The Coffee Sop Murders

Smokinhottie

Disclaimer: Nope! After all these years of writing this story…still don't own them.

Authors Note: I'm back! I've been gone awhile, but I'm back and bringing it! I've spent the last week writing editing and spending almost every waking moment finishing stories, starting new ones, and continuing old ones. I hope you enjoy this chapter and the many more to come. Thank you for all those that have been so patient in their wait for a new chapter! Here is your reward!

Chapter 31

Once at the hospital, they easily found his room again. Lindsay paused a moment before opening the door and Catherine wrapped an arm around her daughter's shoulder.

"You ready sweetie?" She said gently and Lindsay nodded slowly. "I have to tell you that he's pretty beat up right now. If you want to take a moment we can."

"It's ok Mom" Lindsay said shaking her head. "I can handle it. I want to see him." Catherine nodded and gently knocked on the door. After a few moments, Brass opened the door and stepped outside.

"Hi Catherine, Lindsay." He said as he gave them both hugs.

"Hi Uncle Jim. How is he?" Lindsay asked as she looked at him with uncertainty. Brass sighed as he tried to think of a way to tell her of his condition. He quietly looked to Catherine for help. Lindsay saw this and nodded.

"It's that bad huh?" She said as she took a deep breath. "It's ok Uncle Jim. I can handle it. Can I see him now?" Brass nodded and wrapped an arm around her and led her through the door. Once in the room, Catherine watched her daughter's expression. She could tell immediately that Lindsay's little heart broke to see her adopted father lying in a hospital bed with wires and tubes keeping him alive. Tears threatened to roll down Catherine's cheeks as she watched Lindsay walk over to the bed and sit down. She looked Grissom over a moment before looking to her mother.

"It's ok Linds. You can talk to him. He can't answer but he can hear you." Catherine said gently. Lindsay looked to Brass, who nodded, before hesitantly taking Grissom's hand in hers.

"Uncle Gil? It's Lindsay. I hope you can hear me because I just wanted to say I love you. And I want you to get better soon." Lindsay leaned over and kissed his cheek before walking over to her mother. Catherine wrapped her in a hug as Lindsay stared at Grissom lying in the bed. After a few moments, Brass gently broke the silence.

"Lindsay, you want to get something from the cafeteria? Maybe a snack?" Lindsay nodded and turned to her mother.

"Is that ok mom? Do you want anything?" She said softly. Catherine shook her head.

"I'm fine Lindsay. You can go with your uncle." Lindsay smiled and hugged her mother again before walking out the door with Brass. Catherine sighed as she went and sat on the bed next to Grissom.

"Well Grissom, looks like you are just going to have to get better. Miss Lindsay Willows says so." She whispered as she took his hand in hers.

Catherine spent the next week and a half going back and forth to the hospital and home. The case had pretty much gone cold. She didn't know what to do. She was once again back in his room, sitting patiently for him to wake up when Brass came in the room carrying a small duffel bag. He sighed as he sat in the chair by the bed.

"You should go home and get some rest. I'll stay here with him. The doctors say they don't know when he will wake up. It could be another week. You need to go sleep and take care of yourself. I'll call you if anything happens." Catherine shook her head.

"I think I'll stay a while. I'll go home in time to fix Lindsay dinner and spend some time with her. I was going to come back again tonight and stay with him." Brass sighed again. He should have known that she wasn't going anywhere.

"Well ok. I'll go get us some coffee. If you want to freshen up while I'm gone I brought you a bag." Catherine nodded.

"Thank you Jim. I really appreciate you doing all of this. Have you slept any?" Brass shook his head.

"Well why don't we do this. You go home and sleep and come back in the morning." Catherine said. Brass smiled.

"How bout you change and when I get back we will discuss who is going to stay and who is going home." Brass said as he walked out the door. Catherine smiled a little. She knew who would win the argument in the end. Bras didn't stand a chance. She was about to go and change when alarms started going off. Suddenly Grissom began turning the most awful shade of purple as he thrashed about in the bed. Catherine rushed over to the help button and pushed it. She then ran out into the hall to look for help. She soon found the nurses station and practically dragged them back to Grissom's room. The nurses immediately began accessing his condition.

"What's wrong with him?" asked Catherine as she watched in horror as Grissom turned darker and darker purple.

"Something is blocking his airway." One nurse said.

"No! He's breathing on his own! He's choking on the tube!" said the other nurse on closer examination as she tried to hold Grissom down.

"Mr. Grissom! You're going to have to stay still now. We're going to take the tube out. Ready?" said the nurse gently as she steadily pulled the tube out of Grissom's throat. Catherine watched in horror as the long plastic tube came out. The tube was about a foot long and it made her want to gag. She knew it had to hurt badly. Once the tube was out Grissom gasped as he took his first deep breath on his own and then settled. One nurse put a nose clip on him for oxygen while another gave him something in his IV for pain. After he was settled, Catherine finally spoke.

"Is he going to be alright?" Catherine asked

"Ma'am, he is stable as of right now. He's breathing on his own now and the tube was choking him. Now his charts say that at this point, he can slowly be taken off of the medication that is keeping him sedated. All we have to do is let his doctor take a look at him and then we can go from there." Catherine sighed with relief.

"Do you know when Doctor Green can see him?" The nurse nodded.

"I think he is still here. I'll call him and we'll see when he can take a look at him." Catherine relaxed some.

"Thank you Ma'am. I really appreciate that." She said as all of the nurse left and Brass and Lindsay walked in carrying cups of coffee.

"What happened? What did I miss?" Brass said with some confusion.

Author's Note!

Hope this makes sense! Please review!


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 32

"NO! DON'T TAKE ME! MOMMY! DADDY!" Came the all too familiar screams from down the hall. Sara leapt up out of the bed and was down the hall immediately wrapping her arms around the little girl for comfort.

"Hannah, its Sara. You're ok! You're safe! I've got you." Sara said as she slowly rocked back and forth on the bed with Hannah sobbing into her chest. Nick came and stood in the doorway watching Sara comfort the child. After holding her for a few minutes and Hannah's sobs were reduced to sniffles, Sara finally spoke.

"What happened sweetie?" she said softly. "What was your dream about?"

"The bad men." Hannah whispered with a hiccup. "They were coming to get me. They were going to hurt you too!" Sara nodded rubbing Hannah's back.

"It's ok. It was just a dream. The bad men are never going to hurt you again." Sara said as she tucked the little girl back in. Nick came and knelt by her bed and smoothed her hair.

"Sara's right Hannah. I promise that the bad men will never find you again." Nick whispered. She nodded and took his hand in hers.

"You ok sweetheart? You want to try and go back to sleep?" Sara said as she rubbed Hannah's back. Hannah nodded and snuggled down into the bed already fighting back yawns. Once she was sure the little girl was settled Sara and Nick tucked her in and shut her bedroom door. They were both silent as they walked back down the hall to Sara's bedroom. As they crawled back into the bed Sara sighed as she lay there looking at the ceiling. Nick rolled on his side and looked at her.

"You ok?" he said softly. She nodded.

"You sure?" he gently pressed. She sighed again and rolled over to face him. "Can we talk?"

"Sure." Nick said as he scooted closer to her and propped his head up with his hand. "What are you thinking about?"

"This is getting hard. I just don't think I can do this." She said. Nick raised an eyebrow.

"Ok…do what? Hannah? Those nightmares will go away soon." he said as he tried to comfort her.

"I know, but it's more than just the nightmares. It's…never mind it's stupid." She said as she tried to roll over and face away from him.

"Whoa now!" Nick said as he gently pulled her back to face him. "If something is bothering you then I want to know. I want to help."

Sara didn't answer at first, instead attempted to gather her thoughts enough to explain to Nick what was eating away at her. Nick saw this and patiently waited for her to speak as he gently rubbed his hand up and down her arm.

"Child Services called today. They want to take Hannah and place her with relatives they found in Paris Texas." Sara said quietly.

"Really? I thought she didn't have any relatives." Nick said slightly surprised. Sara nodded.

"Originally that was the case. They just went through her parents will yesterday and they found that Hannah's mother has a sister. They contacted her and she is flying out to get her in the next couple of days." Nick looked at her and kissed her forehead.

"It's a good thing, Sara. She is going to be with her family. They will take good care of her. Pretty soon the nightmares will go away and she will forget about the trauma she has experienced and be a normal little girl." Sara nodded.

"I know they will take care of her, but it's still going to be hard. I'm worried that she has gotten used to us and attached. How are we going to explain to her why she can't be with us anymore?" She was trying with all her might not to fall apart.

"We can tell her tomorrow. If you want me to be there when you tell her I will." Nick offered.

"I was hoping you would. She's pretty attached to you and having you there would mean a lot to me." Nick smiled and kissed her.

"Don't get me wrong, I have loved every minute that I have spent with you and her this past week. She couldn't be a sweeter kid. I hate that she's got to leave, but I know it's for the best. You have done an incredible job taking care of her and helping her through this. She's lucky to have you. Now I think the best thing for her is to be away from here and be somewhere fresh to start over." He explained.

"Thanks. I know it is what's best for her, but I'm going to miss her." She said. Knowing Nick was right and felt the same as she did comforted her some.

"She isn't the only one that's lucky to have you. Thank you for putting up with me this week." Sara smiled at him.

"I'm glad you got your stitches out. There won't be much of a scar either." She gently ran her fingers over the mark on his arm. He took her hand in his and kissed it.

"When do you want me to leave?" he asked suddenly.

"What?" Sara said with confusion. "Where are you going?"

"I'm not going far. I just wanted to know when you wanted me to go back to my place. I don't need someone to watch me anymore and I know you are ready for me to get out of your hair." He said with a low chuckle. Sara tried to laugh but found it hard to. Nick noticed and gently put a hand to her cheek.

"You ok? I can leave now if you want." He said thinking that her silence meant that she was uncomfortable having him there. Sara shook her head.

"No! It's actually the opposite. I wish you didn't have to leave. I've kind of gotten used to you being here." She said softly. Nick smiled.

"Good to know I haven't worn out my welcome!" He said as he pulled her to him until she was laying on his chest. "I love you Sara and I would love to stay her and continue living together, but I want to give you the respect and space you deserve. I don't want to rush this. I want to take our time and date!" Sara smiled as she leaned up and kissed him.

"I love you too. Thank you. As much as I want you to stay, I know in my heart that it would be too much too soon." She said. Nick nodded with understanding.

"Then it's settled. Do you want me to stay until Hannah leaves? Then I'll go back to my place and we'll take it from there?"

Sara nodded and kissed him. When she kissed him, Nick could feel her relax. He knew that it had probably been on her mind and that talking about it was something to reassure her. They soon snuggled up to each other and Sara fell asleep. Nick lay awake a little while longer thinking about how hard it was going to be to go back to his little apartment without Sara. He couldn't help but think about how close he came to not even be able to date her or love her. He knew that she was scared to jump into the relationship that fast and to be honest so was he. So far, all they had done was share a bed and her house. There wasn't anything romantic other than the occasional kiss. He decided that after he went back to his apartment that he would take it slow, and never give her any doubt about herself.

Hope you like! I'm trying really hard to write a bunch before the holidays get here!


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 33

"What happened? What did I miss?" Brass said with some confusion as he handed Catherine her coffee.

"Is everything ok Mom? Why were all of those nurses in here?" as she carefully studied her mother's expressions. She sighed.

"Well, Linds your Uncle Grissom was simply laying there and then all of the sudden alarms start going off. And he's choking and gagging…it was horrible." Catherine said as she looked at Grissom.

"Is he alright? What caused him to do that?" Brass said in shock.

"The nurses believe that he is starting to breathe on his own and was choking on the tube. They had to pull it out." She explained as she tried to shake the images of Grissom in pain. Brass sighed.

"Well he's alright for now isn't he?" Lindsay said anxiously as she looked to her mother for a glimmer of hope. Catherine nodded.

"The nurse said that she was going to talk to his Doctor, and see about weaning him off of the sedative. That means he will wake up from the coma!" Brass nodded.

"How long until we know something?" Catherine shook her head.

"I don't know. The nurse thought Dr. Green might still be here to speak to us." She said as she sat down on the bed. Brass smiled gently.

"Lindsay why don't I take you to your aunt's and you get started on your homework." Catherine smiled.

"You know sweetheart I think your Uncle Jim is right." Lindsay sighed.

"But Mom! I want to be here when he wakes up!"

"I know honey, but we don't know when that will be. Why don't you go with Uncle Jim and I'll call you after I talk to Doctor Green. Ok?" Catherine said gently. Lindsay sighed and nodded.

"Ok Mom. I'll go to Aunt Mary's house. I'll see you later tonight right?" she said as she hugged her mother and Brass. Brass looked confused as Lindsay waved goodbye and went towards the door.

"Lindsay? Where are you going? I've got the keys." Brass said with a frown. Lindsay laughed.

"I drove Uncle Jim. I came after school." She said with a smile.

"Oh. I just figured when we met up in the cafeteria that you were here with your mom. Ok. Drive safe and wear your seatbelt." Brass said firmly.

"Yes Uncle Jim." Lindsay said with a laugh and left the room. Brass just simply turned and stared at Catherine.

"Since when did she start driving? She isn't old enough to drive!" Catherine laughed.

"It's hard to believe isn't it? She will turn 18 in a few months." Catherine said sadly at the thought of her little girl not being so little anymore. Brass just had a look of pure horror on his face.

"NO! Say it ain't so! Not 18!" he begged Catherine and when she nodded he just shook his head.

"Oh man I'm getting old!" Brass said as he sighed. Catherine offered a smile of sympathy just before the doctor appeared in the doorway.

"Miss Willows, Captain Brass. How are you?" he said as he shook their hands.

"We will all feel better when we know he's going to be better." Catherine said as she watched Doctor Green walk over to Grissom and began checking his vital signs. He nodded at Catherine's answer.

"We'll see that it happens as quickly as possible." Catherine nodded and took a deep breath before asking the loaded question of the moment.

"How is he doing Doctor Green? Is he going to wake up any time soon?" She said anxiously.

"Well…right now he's breathing on his own which is a good sign. We will try to slowly take him off the sedative by late tonight. By tomorrow morning he should be off it completely and close to waking up. It all depends on him. We don't know what he will be able to do. I'm ordering a CT scan to see how much brain damage we are looking at." Doctor Green explained as he finished examining Grissom. Catherine nodded as she tried to take all of the information in.

"What's next for him?" Brass asked. "What can we expect? Will he remember what happened?" The doctor shrugged.

"Again a lot of it depends on him. I'll know more when we do the CT scan. He's going to be in the hospital for a while. I'll check back on him tonight. It's all a slow process, but it IS a process of recovery. He's lucky to be alive." Catherine sighed.

"Thank you Dr. Greene. We really appreciate everything you are doing for us." Dr. Greene smiled.

"I know this must be difficult for you. I promise you that we will do everything we can to get him better. He has already proven that he is going to put up a fight and not give up." Brass smiled slightly in an effort to comfort Catherine.

"Yeah I have always wondered which one of you was more stubborn. Neither of you are going to give up on each other." He said gently as he wrapped an arm around Catherine's shoulder.

"You are doing a great job being strong for him. You are doing exactly what he needs right now. I'm sure he can't wait to wake up and see you." Dr. Greene said as he shook their hands goodbye. Brass left to work his shift leaving Catherine alone with Grissom. She sighed as she settled herself in the chair next to him and tried to file paperwork to pass the time until he awoke.


End file.
